Which player may benefit the most under Mike Brown?

Earlier this week, I released the first part of the Knicks offseason fan mailbox, answering questions about Mikal Bridges’ contract renewal, Mitchell Robinson’s future, and more.

The following is the second part, and we will analyze which player may usher in a breakthrough under the coaching of the new coach Mike Brown. In addition, does Brown need to win the NBA championship immediately to retain the coach position? We will discuss these issues in depth and other topics.

If Brown uses 10 players to rotate, who will the 10th player be?

Before being fired by the Sacramento Kings last season, Brown's employment mode usually had 7-8 main players gained stable playing time, and then played sporadically with several role players. I would be surprised if he activates 10-person rotation every night - but management may use this as one of the conditions for hiring and ask him to expand his rotation lineup.

For this issue, here are the nine players currently in fixed rotation in locked health: Jaylen Brunson, Carl Anthony Towns, OG Anunobi, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, Miles McBride Mitchell Robinson, Jordan Clarkson and Gaelson Yabuselle. It is basically certain that Brown will start the new season with at least nine players. Whether it expands to 10 people may depend on who the Knicks signs with the remaining veterans' basic salary. The team still needs a traditional substitute point guard, and may also give young players such as Pacom Dadiye a sporadic chance like he did when he was using Alex Lane during the Kings.

But judging from the situation in early August, my intuitive judgment is that Brown will use the above nine-player rotation lineup.

Considering Brown's coaching style and the Knicks' existing lineup, what are the main changes in the team's offensive and defensive system compared to last season? Which players will benefit from it?

While the Knicks won't completely replicate Brown's fast-paced play when coaching the Kings (which is mainly limited by player configuration), I think the team will try to speed up, especially in the half-court offense. Rapid pace not only means speeding up the speed of offense and defense conversions—this is of course important—and more importantly, it is quick decision-making and ball circulation. These are likely to be the most significant tactical changes in Brown's early years in office.

The changes in the defensive end are currently difficult to assert. Not sure Brown will let Towns and Robinson work together as the inside, or let Towns play the fifth position and Anunobi play the fourth position. This lineup arrangement will directly affect New York's defensive system. It is foreseeable that Bridges should not take on the main defense task of 90% of the rounds, and Brown may let players such as Anunobi share more defensive pressure in the regular season.

Regarding the biggest beneficiaries, I think Bridges will get the biggest boost. Although the two have not worked together for a long time with the King, Brown has designed exquisite mid-range tactics for DeRozan. Although Bridges is not as good as DeRozan's mid-range shooting ability, he is indeed good at and prefers offense in this area. We are expected to see more tactical designs that use Towns as the offensive axis and instigate running without the ball through passing.

Does Brown have to win the championship to retain the coach position?

Unless there is a serious conflict in the locker room or the team's record collapses, even if the Knicks miss the championship in the new season, Brown is only 0.1% likely to be fired. Although the outside world has high expectations for him, the management who sets these standards must also remain rational.

You should know that the Knicks are still paying Tom Thibodeau's salary for the next few years. It's hard to imagine that the boss would be willing to pay tens of millions of dollars for two coaches at the same time - just to keep them from coaching - and then turn to hire a third coach. This hypothetical situation will cause a serious image crisis for any stakeholder of the team.

However, the Detroit Pistons did have a precedent for paying two coaches at the same time - after Dwyane Casey transferred from coach to management, the team hired Monty Williams on a record-breaking contract, and the latter was fired after only one season of coaching. To be fair, apart from owner Tom Gores' money burning, the decision did work for the Pistons: the team fell from Casey's 17 wins in the final season to Williams' 14 wins in the first year of coaching (including a record-breaking losing streak). Management must take action to admit mistakes. Now under J.B. Bickstaff, the pistons have entered the ascending track.

Although it is still unknown whether the Knicks can surpass last season's performance this season, I can guarantee that Brown will never repeat Williams' mistakes with the Pistons.

In the long run, Brown must lead the Knicks into a stable championship team. Winning the championship is by no means easy, too many uncontrollable external factors will affect the results. But if New York exits the championship ranks in two years or shows a downward trend, then discussions on Brown's stay or leave will be put on the agenda.

An obvious question: Will Hart be the fifth starter? If not, would it be Mitchell Robinson, Miles McBride or someone else?

This is probably a question that everyone – including us journalists – desires answers during training camp. There are two months left before the camp, and it is too early to make a conclusion.

However, if I were to guess, considering Abussele's joining and its versatility, I think Brown would have Robinson and Towns start at the same time and put Abussele somewhere in the frontcourt early in the game. Ultimately, I believe Brown will pay attention to the defense of the starting lineup, and letting Robinson start more to protect Towns than to question Hart's defensive ability.

If the starting lineup last year continues, the Knicks will face the problem of two defensive short-term players being on the court at the same time, which will be difficult to win in a high-level game. Because of this, I think Robinson will eventually make the starting list.