The New York Knicks appear ready to embrace new head coach Mike Brown's offensive philosophy. The Knicks' offense looked stagnant too often under former coach Tom Thibodeau. Fortunately, Brown believes in pushing the pace, moving the ball, and launching 3-pointers. And that could significantly benefit the Knicks, resulting in even more success in the near future as they have struggled to consistently generate offense.
Knicks early 3-point results look promising
New York shot 34.1 three-point attempts per game last season. That was good for 27th in the NBA. And it got worse in the playoffs. The Knicks averaged just 31.7 three-point attempts per game in the playoffs, which was 13th (out of 16) teams).
But Brown likes his teams to shoot more. The Sacramento Kings shot 39.3 three-pointers per game in 2023-24, which was Brown's last complete season as head coach. And there is increasing evidence that Brown's Knicks will shoot a similar number.
The Knicks have gotten up more than the 34 attempts they took per game last season in each of the first three preseason games. In fact, they're averaging 43.5 per game, including a mind-blowing 57 in the third game, which was a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Wins and losses are irrelevant at this stage of the season. Teams are experimenting with lineups and determining which fringe rotation players will make the regular-season roster. And that also impacts the results of things like shooting; New York has made only 27.6% of their 3-pointers so far this preseason. But the style and system we see will absolutely remain.
Brown clearly worked at getting the Knicks to be more comfortable in catch-and-shoot situations. And more importantly, he has implemented a system that looks for shooters in the corners—instead of relying on isolation plays and the occasional pick-and-roll.
Knicks' personnel is well-suited for Brown's modern offense
The thing about New York embracing 3-pointers is that they have more than enough shooting to succeed in this manner, which makes it mystifying that Thibodeau didn't encourage them to shoot more.
First, there's Karl-Anthony Towns, who is possibly the best shooting big man of all time. But despite connecting on a team-best 42% of his 3-point attempts last season, Towns shot only 4.7 per game in 2024-25. That's less than the 5.3 and 5.7 attempts his took in the previous two seasons. And it is a far cry from his career-high 7.9 per game. So Brown's first offensive priority should be to unchain Towns and put him in position to launch more.
Miles McBride should be the recipient of a bigger role as well. Part of that role will be as a marksman. McBride connected on 36.9% of his 4.9 three-pointers per game last season, which came in 24.9 minutes per game. If McBride takes on a bigger role, which is expected, he will inevitably get more 3-point attempts as it's become a major part of his game.
Mikal Bridges should also be the recipient of more 3-point attempts. After connecting on 37.2% of his career-best 7.2 three-point attempts with the Brooklyn Nets in 2023-24, Bridges shot only 5.6 per game last season. Granted, that's more than he averaged in any of his seasons with the Phoenix Suns. Bridges looked lost at times last season, especially early on. But Bridges was simply misused. He should have a bounce-back year if he hits the corners and understand what Brown expects of him.
The Knicks appear well-prepared for the 2025-26 season. They should have better chemistry after a full season together. Their roles are clear, starting with their captain, Jalen Brunson. And now with a modern system, their offense should be able to help lead the way, too.
Obviously, New York will have to execute, which includes connecting on a good deal of their 3-point attempts. But with Brown's offense in place, New York could be ready to take that next step to the NBA Finals—and possibly win the whole thing.
