Mike Brown managing early expectations for the Knicks: ‘It will require time’

Mike Brown’s Process with the Knicks

Mike Brown recognizes that the Knicks are facing a process. There’s a lot to consider—from new offensive strategies to player rotations. It’ll definitely take some time for everything to fall into place as the season unfolds.

He noted that, perhaps, it’s essential for the team to experience challenges to truly gauge if the standards he’s set will hold up. “It’s not something that will happen right off the bat, like in Game 1 or Game 2,” he mentioned after Wednesday’s practice. “We’re not going to reach our peak early. It’s a journey, not a sprint.”

Brown emphasized the importance of maintaining balance: “There will be ups and downs. If we do well, we should keep our feet on the ground, and if things don’t go as we hope, we shouldn’t get too down on ourselves.” He reiterated that the team needs to stay calm and focused on the long game.

This contemplation stemmed from a question about Josh Hart, who hasn’t played since a back injury in the preseason opener in Abu Dhabi. A Knicks representative shared that Hart has been practicing and doing some shooting but Brown is uncertain about his availability for the final preseason game against the Hornets.

Hart’s injury presents yet another challenge for the Knicks. As Brown stated last week, he hasn’t introduced specific plays; instead, he’s fostering a system where players can organically react to the game’s flow while maintaining their desired tempo during these exhibition matches.

In a surprising turn, Malcolm Brogdon, who was expected to be the backup point guard, announced his retirement earlier this week. Meanwhile, OG Anunoby mentioned that the Knicks are aiming to “peak towards the end” of the season, particularly looking ahead to the playoffs.

Of course, it’s likely that there will be some bumps along the way. The lessons learned during preseason could linger into the regular season opener against the Cavaliers on October 22.

However, optimism remains higher than ever. The Knicks are confident that, given the returning players and lofty expectations, everything will eventually coalesce—even if it takes a bit longer than they hope.

“Sure, we all want to win 50 games straight,” Anunoby commented. “But I also understand that it’s a lengthy season. At the start, it’s really about learning and adapting, figuring things out.”

Brown is encouraging Anunoby, who recently achieved a career-high average of 18.0 points per game, to be more aggressive on offense. “We want him to run and attack,” he said, allowing Anunoby the chance to leverage his ability to shoot from deep and drive to the basket.

Anunoby added that moving forward means mastering “what to do and when to do it” in terms of shooting, passing, and driving effectively.

In other news, on Wednesday, the Knicks unveiled this season’s statement edition jerseys. These will be worn 12 times, kicking off with the game against the Heat on November 14. According to the team, the black jersey features the name in orange lettering with blue trim and the Jordan logo, designed to reflect the city’s vibrancy that fuels the team, reminiscent of “the lights of The Garden.”