Van Gundy Praises Knicks Coach Brown’s Approach
LAS VEGAS — Stan Van Gundy recently spoke with Mike Brown as part of his NBA Cup commentary, commending the new Knicks coach for his ability to manage his ego and build on the foundation laid by Tom Thibodeau.
“I have a lot of confidence in Mike Brown because he understands that Tom is a fantastic coach,” Van Gundy, now an analyst for Amazon Prime, shared just before Brown’s Knicks faced the Magic in the NBA Cup semifinals. “In today’s meeting, he acknowledged that fact. He didn’t overhaul everything; instead, he made minor adjustments and returned to many of Thibodeau’s strategies.”
“Rather than discard everything, he’s leveraging the roster’s continuity while implementing some changes.”
Initially, Brown emphasized the significance of pace and depth with the Knicks, but recently, the team has started resembling last year’s playstyle. Brown reverted to the same starting lineup while moving Mitchell Robinson to the bench and adding Josh Hart.
Because of a shortened rotation, only two players saw considerable action off the bench, which was influenced by injuries to Miles McBride and Landry Shamet.
By Saturday, the team’s pace had slipped to 26th in the NBA, mirroring last season’s ranking.
While the offensive and defensive ratings improved under Brown, they remained within the same range as Thibodeau’s previous season prior to an unexpected ejection during the conference finals loss.
Leading up to Saturday’s match, the Knicks ranked second in offensive efficiency (compared to fifth last season) and 10th in defense (up from 13th last season).
“Tom Thibodeau is a great basketball coach; that’s widely acknowledged in this league, and Mike gets that,” Van Gundy noted. “I really admire Mike for managing his ego and not feeling the pressure to differentiate himself.”
“Last year, they had a great run, and he’s building on that success. Let’s see how far they can go. Mike has excelled at every stop, and while he’s intensely competitive, it’s not about proving his individual worth. There’s no rivalry with Thibodeau—it’s all about advancing the team.”
However, notable changes have occurred under Brown. The Knicks are shooting nearly seven more 3-pointers per game this season, with an efficient success rate of 37.8 percent.
But Brown saw real improvements upon reverting to last season’s starting lineup, a decision Van Gundy supported for several reasons. One major change was moving Robinson from the starting five and shifting Karl-Anthony Towns from power forward to center.
“Given Robinson’s injury concerns, having a starting player who frequently misses games complicates matters. A more stable lineup can enhance everyone’s comfort level,” Van Gundy suggested. “I doubt they could have made this adjustment if Robinson had been a consistent starter; there would have been challenges with lineup changes.”
“I believe Towns agrees. Although many teams are using Josh at center, I think Towns performs best in that position. He’s more comfortable there—more involved in the game flow. Starting that way helps him find his rhythm, even if they play together later.”
Approaching the season’s midpoint, it appears the Knicks are on a trajectory toward a potential NBA Finals appearance.
“Looking at their performance, I consider them top contenders from the East,” remarked Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade, now also an Amazon Prime analyst. “It’s not just about last year’s conference finals appearance. It’s the progress made in New York in recent years, and seeing how a new coach will adjust has been fascinating. They seem to be regaining the core essence of what they’ve built.”
