Say goodbye to the slow pace of the Thibodeau era? Can Brown expand the rotation and help the Knicks speed up in full

Translator's note: The original text was published in TheAthletic, and the data in the text were as of the time of publication (local time on August 25), and the dates and times involved were all local time. The views in the article have nothing to do with the translator and the platform.

As the Knicks' new season approaches - training camp is about to open for more than a month - all kinds of speculations about what may happen next season are beginning to come to mind. After a busy offseason in the Knicks, some questions arose in their minds, but none of them can get a complete answer before the new season really starts.

However, today we will explore four problems facing the Knicks (regardless of ranking). Some of these questions will be answered faster, while others may take time.

Let's get started. How much playing time can young players get?

We should know the answer to this question by the time the NBA season officially begins, but as we sit here to discuss in late August, there are still some mysteries about how new coach Mike Brown will use the young talent in the lineup.

Taylor Kolek, Pacom Dadiye and Ariel Hookporti are three sophomore players in the Knicks roster who may benefit from a more stable role. However, the Knicks are a team with many veterans, after reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last season, they are chasing the unattainable NBA championship trophy.

To answer the first question, we have to ask some extra questions first: Will Brown use 10 or 11 people rotations stably every night? Are the Knicks willing to make a regression in their regular season record in order to accumulate game experience for young geniuses?

When the bootcamp begins, we should have a clearer understanding of the answers to these questions.

For now, it is hard to imagine multiple young players who can get clear roles at the beginning of the season. The Knicks introduced two quality veterans, Jordan Clarkson and Gaelson Yabuselle, through the free market during the offseason - and there is a very likely third quality veteran to join, as the Knicks also has a veteran base salary quota available. Even if you don't know who the Knicks will sign this summer, Brown already has nine veterans with strength ranging from excellent to reliable at the beginning of the season. He can easily form a rotation lineup with just these people. However, if Brown is willing to expand his regular rotation to 10 or 11 players in order to gain game experience for one or two young players, we know that developing new players is a priority for management when looking for a new head coach.

Hookporti seems more likely to get a spot in next year's game earlier. Center Mitchell Robinson has a long history of injury and although he is healthy now, I wouldn't be surprised if he had some form of game management program to protect himself throughout the season. I could have predicted that Hookeporty would be the backup center every three games as Robinson took load management.

After Hookporty, Kohluck is the only traditional point guard in the lineup besides Jaylen Brunson. Miles McBride may take on the role of a substitute point guard, but perhaps Brown sees him more as a shooting guard, despite his low height. For Kohluke – who struggled in the summer league but showed some good signs as an offensive organizer in his rookie season – he might be able to win a stable role.

As for the 20-year-old Dadiye, he has the greatest potential of the three, but the Knicks are overcrowded on the wing. OG-Anunobi, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and Clarkson will take up most of the wing rotation.

With that being said, I do think young players will have more playing time this season, especially in garbage time. Last year, former head coach Tom Thibodeau often allowed his starters to play for a long time in big-scoring games. It is not uncommon to see Bridges or Hart still on the court with four minutes left and the Knicks leading over 20 points. My intuition is that this will be less under Brown’s coaching this year and players like Kohlke, Dadiye and Hookporti will benefit.

Based on who the Knicks will sign with the last veteran's basic salary quota, I expect one of these sophomore players to become a regular member of the Browns rotation lineup. I think it is important for the team to work hard to train someone during the regular season, so that once the playoffs come, the team will know whether there is a big surprise soldier who can stand up.

Who will enter the starting lineup?

I can say with confidence that one of the following two sets will be the starter of the Knicks' opener: Brunson + Bridges + Hart + Anunoby + Carl Anthony Towns, or Brunson + Bridges + Anunoby + Towns + Robinson. Which set of

would be? We'll probably know during the preseason. The two sets of lineups have their own advantages, but the former has never been completely combined into a whole as a starting lineup, especially in the playoffs. Thibodeau switched to the latter midway through the playoffs, and although that lineup was not amazing, from the statistics, Robinson performed better in the starting lineup than Hart was there. Two teams have now concluded that Towns needs a more traditional center around him.

With that being said, I believe the goal of the starting lineup should be to maximize offensive firepower. Especially with Brunson and Towns as the cornerstone of this team, it should be the Knicks' target to manage to make the starting lineup stable into the top five offensive team in the league. Yes, the Knicks ranked in the top five in the league in offensive efficiency throughout the regular season, but this lineup performed mediocrely in the second half of the season and often seemed difficult to face stronger defense in the playoffs. The Knicks’ top priority this season is to try to make the offense run smoothly most of the time, no matter who the opponent is.

No matter which path Brown decides to go, he and his coaching staff must use creativity to highlight the strengths of the lineup—that is, offense. This is the most important thing.

Will Robinson still be a Knicks player at the end of the season?

The injury-ridden big man is one of the most dominant players in the playoffs, and he is currently eligible for an early contract extension.

The version of Robinson we've seen recently is a candidate for the best defensive team. He will be involved in the discussion of the best defensive player of the year. What kind of team will not retain such players? Well, the Knicks know Robinson better than anyone else, and he has been unable to stay on the court due to various injuries. I feel like the Knicks would want to sign a team-friendly contract extension in advance in case he continues to be injured. On the other hand, I'm sure Robinson will point out his performance in the playoffs and believe that if he can stay healthy during contract year, he can get another good contract from the Knicks or other teams. There may be a noticeable scenario during the season: If Robinson stays healthy before the trade deadline and plays the dominant performance of the playoffs in the first 35 regular season games, what choice would the Knicks make? Will the Knicks use his performance and the expiring contract to trade him at that time? Will the Knicks keep him in order to continue chasing the championship, thus avoiding destroying the team's continuity and risk losing him in the free market? In this case, both options have their pros and cons.

Robinson, his health and his future with the team will be one of the most interesting potential storylines for the Knicks' new season. Can

Brown make the Knicks play faster?

According to data from the NBA official website, the Knicks ranked 26th in the league in the game rhythm last season. And under Brown's coaching, the Kings are one of the fastest-playing teams in the league, which is well known.

Brown spoke at his inaugural press conference about hoping the team will play faster. This sounds like a focus throughout training camp and season. However, speaking and doing are two different things, and the Knicks’ coaching staff must find a way to take the team to the next level in this regard.

Playing fast does not just mean snatching the defensive rebound and quickly advancing the conversion offense. That's just a part of it. Playing fast also means making quick decisions in the half-court offense and letting the ball work. The Knicks didn't always do the best in this regard in the 2024-25 season.

I do believe that staffing determines to a large extent whether a team can play fast. Some players have different rhythms and different styles of playing. However, I do believe that while the Knicks don’t have the players who can make the pace of the game into the top five in the league, they can make significant progress by just improving their half-court offense. This is exactly where Brown and his coaching staff need to prove their worth immediately.

When the Knicks face top defensive teams such as the Cavaliers, Pistons, and Magic in half-court offense, whether Brown can make them play faster will be the key to his prove that he is the right person for the head coach.