Everyone thought the New York Knicks would be here and that’s half the battle won for an organization which has consistently fallen short of expectations over the years.
After Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton both suffered ruptured Achilles, all signs pointed to the Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers being in prime position to take advantage of a clearer path in the Eastern Conference. While the Cavs have their own issues, the Knicks, after a middling 9-6 start, have rattled off 10 wins in 11 games to snap right at the heels of the 20-5 Detroit Pistons and hoist the NBA Cup.
There will be no banner hoisted for that win, though, because the Knicks have their eye on a bigger prize. After falling short in the conference semifinals and the Eastern Conference Finals the last two seasons, New York knows this year is NBA Finals or bust.
Mike Brown was brought in as the new head coach in recognition of this urgency. The results are starting to show why, despite the enormous cultural benefits gained from Tom Thibodeau’s tenure, this changing of the guard may have happened at the right time.
The Knicks finished with 51 wins and the third seed a season ago. This year, with 18 wins in 25 games, they are on pace for closer to 60. The changes they’ve implemented, though, suggest they can do more when it matters most. Perhaps, clinching the NBA Cup was just the start of that.
Brown’s Offensive Overhaul In Full Effect
The Knicks currently boast the second-best offense in the league, which would mark an improvement from finishing fifth last season. Per 100 possessions, it is producing nearly the exact same efficiency in the half-court as 2024-25. Beyond those numbers, there is a retooled process showing how this year’s group is different.
Still a bottom-five team in pace and taking care of the ball just as effectively as a season ago, New York’s pace is now defined by the energy and verve with which the ball moves. A season ago, the Knicks averaged 242.4 passes per game. That’s spiked all the way up to 296.1 passes per game this season. They’re creating close to the same number of points off assists (68.2 last season, 71.8 this season) but Brown has de-emphasized the team standing and watching as Jalen Brunson uses his excellent 1-on-1 skills to create for him or his teammates a la Allen Iverson.
There are more possessions like the one below, where Brunson’s isolations are coming after initial actions primed on ball and player movement.
It’s the flow from the Knicks that stands out, working to keep things moving. Hart brings it up and gets it to Bridges. Brunson screens, nothing there get it to Clarkson. Exchange on the weakside and Hart cuts through. DHO to Brunson late in clock w/o defense fully set. pic.twitter.com/nveJSB45pf
— Steve Jones (@stevejones20) December 17, 2025
Brunson is in isolation around four fewer times per game but the team as a whole is creating six more drives per game. That combination of ball movement and pressure off the bounce from an increased variety of sources is reflected in the the Knicks’ catch-and-shoot numbers, improving from 28.5 points per game last season (23rd) to 35.5 points this season (fourth-best).
While Brunson and Josh Hart are leading the playmaking charge as expected, Brown has unearthed some passing chops elsewhere. Mikal Bridges’ assist rate relative to usage is in the 90th percentile after being in the 64th percentile last season and 58th in 2023-24.
New York knows it can go to the reliable Brunson-Karl-Anthony Towns pick-and-roll when needed. What Brown has done is give this team confidence without it.
Amplifying Rebounding Advantage
Among Towns, Hart and Mitchell Robinson, the Knicks have some very willing offensive rebounders. Last season, they had a solid offensive rebounding rate of 29.3 percent, which ranked 10th overall. That number has now climbed to a fourth-ranked 32.3 percent and they are second in the league in second-chance points.
Offensive rebounding can be as simple as an overpowering big man like Steven Adams exerting his will. Or, it can be a bit of an art as it is with Dyson Daniels and how he reads the ball, timing himself to be in the right place at the right time. The Knicks have a good chunk of both.
The Knicks turned four offensive rebounds into 3s last night — three of them in the fourth quarter, as they put together the run that flipped the game. Real dagger shots for this offense. pic.twitter.com/hTTNm6cgQM
— Dan Devine (@YourManDevine) December 17, 2025
Robinson has perennially been one of the league’s best offensive rebounders in the league. Now, he’s possibly made himself the best in class with an absurd 26.1 percent offensive rebound rate. Hart is more subtle in his approach, ranking in the 88th percentile among wings and seemingly having a nose in particular for big rebounds that can swing a game in a meaningful way. Towns spends a decent chunk of the game spreading the floor for the Knicks but he, too, knows how to throw his body around and corral loose balls.
The secret sauce, beyond the increased prioritization of extra opportunities, comes back to the offensive process. It’s just a bit more difficult to create lanes and positioning for offensive boards when the ball is stagnant. It means opposing defenders aren’t having to move as much and can be more dedicated to their box-out efforts. When the ball and players are moving, positioning and boxing out becomes that much more of a challenge.
Kolek, Clarkson Highlight Depth Improvement
Whether it was a lack of trust or a lack of skill to trust, Thibodeau did not believe in his bench. There’s nothing new there and it’s another reason the Knicks front office elected to move on.
Bringing in Jordan Clarkson and the emergence of Tyler Kolek has propped up a bench unit that only really trusted Miles McBride and Landry Shamet last season. Guerschon Yabusele and Ariel Hukporti have provided a spark on occasion as well.
Clarkson’s reputation is well known by now, a gunslinger who on the right night can be an absolute flamethrower. McBride is out injured right now and that adds to the value Clarkson brings. When both are available, you can bank on one of them providing the additional firepower necessary off the bench.
In Kolek, the Knicks have found a gem of a blue collar worker. A second-round pick last season, the 24-year-old will commit the hard foul, never miss a tag defensively, make the right pass and take the right shot. He doesn’t back down from anyone, plays with a ton of confidence and brings a real tenacity and competitive streak whenever he’s on the floor.
Hart does so much important stuff for the Knicks now that he plays too big a role to be considered an X-factor. Kolek has assumed that mantle and his contributions were critical in Tuesday’s NBA Cup Final win over the Spurs.
y’all asked for tyler kolek highlights??? 😤⬇️
📊 14 PTS | 5 AST | 5 REB pic.twitter.com/ZdjovOwoOW
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 17, 2025
Defense Doing Well But Concerns Remain
It’s hard to be a bad defense with Bridges, Robinson, Hart and OG Anunoby on the same team. It’s hard to be a great defensive team with Brunson, Towns and Clarkson. That’s why the Knicks are consistently flirting with a top-10 defense while never threatening to be more than that.
What’s significant is they do very well in a half-court setting, allowing 102.5 points per 100 half-court possessions (seventh-best). Anunoby and Bridges are among the league leaders in steals, each averaging 1.9 per game, Robinson is swatting away every shot within striking distance of his 7-foot-4 wingspan and the Knicks are elite at protecting their own glass.
“They play with a lot of physicality, they play with a lot of active hands,” Scottie Barnes said after losing to the Knicks in the NBA Cup quarterfinals. “Bridges, OG, Josh Hart, they rebound crazy as well. They play with a lot of physicality.”
As you might suspect, the Knicks’ desire to attack the offensive glass can leave them susceptible in transition. They allow 131.6 points per 100 transition possessions (sixth-worst). The good news about having as much success on the offensive glass as they do and having such a prolific offense generally is it serves as a way of preventing transition opportunities. New York allows the seventh-lowest frequency (14.7 percent) of opponent transition opportunities.
The areas for concern are potential red flags. New York ranks 20th in shots allowed at the rim and also concedes the second-most threes in the league. Outside of Robinson, there is little resistance at the basket, which is why opponents shoot the sixth-best mark within four feet at 64 percent.
Playoffs Will Ask Similar Questions
The Knicks could come across a team that can ask similar questions of the past, like what happens when Robinson is repeatedly hacked (22.2 percent at the free-throw line this season) and knocked out of the game? What happens if Brown has to contend with avoiding Brunson and Towns being on the floor together?
The lack of depth at center and potential concerns regarding the individual defense of their two biggest stars could be holes once again. Will they be glaring holes in the East? At this stage of the season, only the Pistons appear capable of making that possible.
Reaching the Finals would be a huge accomplishment for this group and a clear improvement on last season. The Knicks have shown through 25 games they are not only capable but ascending toward that promise.
