Does The NBA Have A New York Knicks Problem?

Does The NBA Have A New York Knicks Problem?

50 win seasons, conference finals, a culture completely transformed. And the Knicks just said, “Not good enough. What the hell is going on in New York?” The Knicks fired Tom Thibido, the most successful coach they’ve had in 25 years. Think about this. Between 2012 and 2020, six different Knicks head coaches combined for 238 regular season wins. Thibido, he racked up 226 wins by himself in just five seasons. So Bridges doing it all now. Made his last two shots and an OB to Robinson. Beautiful unselfish play. He led them to back-to-back 50- win seasons for the first time since 1995. Three straight trips to at least the conference semi-finals. For the first time since 2000, the fifth best offense in the NBA. And he did it all after inheriting a team that was a leaguewide punchline. But here’s the stat that might explain everything. The Knicks had the worst bench scoring in the entire NBA at 21 points per game. Dead last. Five points behind the second worst Lakers. When your starters sit, you’re essentially forfeiting the game. So why is Tibs out of a job? Because in New York, good isn’t good enough anymore. They want championships. And the front office believes a new voice, Mike Brown, plus some crucial roster additions are the keys to unlocking this team’s true potential. But here’s the thing. They’re not just changing coaches. They’re betting everything on a core that never fully clicked. A bench that got historically exposed and the hope that different leadership can fix fundamental flaws. The rest of the NBA is watching closely because if the Knicks can get this right, if they finally put it all together, the league might have a New York problem on its hands. So, let’s break down what’s really happening in Madison Square Garden. The Knicks had a breakthrough season. 52 wins, conference finals appearance, legitimate contender status. They knocked off the defending champion Celtics in the second round. They showed they could compete with anyone, but when you dig deeper, the cracks were everywhere. Their supposed big five of Brunson, Bridges, Anobi, Hart, and Towns. They had a negative net rating for most of the season. This is more Hart now orchestrating looking for the connection with Robinson. Hart then takes it away, feeds Robinson. Think about that. Five players making a combined $150 plus million couldn’t outscore their opponents. In the playoffs against Indiana, they were minus 33 heading into game six. That’s not a typo. The Knicks best lineup was getting destroyed by a team that finished below them in the standings. Here’s what went wrong. The pace problem. The Knicks played at one of the slowest paces in the league, 97.2 possessions per game, 25th in the NBA. In an era where teams like Indiana are running opponents off the floor, the Knicks were stuck in the mud. Fibido’s grinded out philosophy worked in 2004, in 2025, it’s basketball malpractice. Every possession became a slog. The shot clock would wind down. Brunson would have to create something out of nothing. And while he’s brilliant at it, clutch player of the year, remember, it’s not sustainable. You can’t win a championship playing hero ball every trip down the court. Then there’s the spacing disaster. Despite having shooting talent, Tibs never fully committed to a true five out system. He’d play lineups with hard at the three. He’d post up Towns instead of using him as a floor spacer. Smart defenses figured it out fast. Stick your center on heart, put mobile wings on Towns, and watch the offense grind to a halt. The numbers are damning. The Knicks ranked 22nd in three-point attempts per game, 24th in corner three attempts. For a team with supposed shooting talent, they played like it was 1998. Miles McBride, their best bench scorer at 41% from three, averaged just 19 minutes per game. That’s coaching malpractice. On the move is following, burns it inside, kicks it on the win three. Then there’s the minutes apocalypse. This might have been Thibido’s biggest sin. Bridges and Hart were first and second in the entire NBA in total minutes. Anobi was eighth. No fiveman lineup played more together than the Knicks starters. By January, they were already showing signs of fatigue. By March, they were running on fumes. By the conference finals, they had nothing left. And Thibido’s response, play them all. It’s like he learned nothing from running Derek Rose into the ground in Chicago. Then there’s the Brunson Towns disconnect. This was supposed to be a dynamic duo that would terrorize defenses. Brunson’s elite pick and roll play combined with Town’s shooting and versatility. Instead, they played like strangers who just met at the YMCA. In the entire Indiana series, Brunson assisted towns just five times. Your two best players making a combined $90 million actively made each other worse. The pick and roll that was supposed to be their bread and butter. It became predictable and easy to defend. Teams would just switch it. Knowing Towns wouldn’t punish smaller defenders in the post, and Brunson couldn’t consistently beat bigger defenders off the dribble. Against elite teams, Cleveland, OKC, Boston, the Knicks went 0 and 10. Zero wins in 10 tries against the league’s best. That’s not bad luck. That’s not a tough schedule. That’s a team that couldn’t compete when it mattered most. Enter Mike Brown. The Knicks didn’t just hire any coach. They specifically targeted someone who could fix what Thibido couldn’t or wouldn’t. And Mike Brown represents everything Thibido wasn’t. Brown shares Tib’s defensive foundation and attention to detail. Both are Papovic disciples. Both believe defense wins championships, but there’s one massive difference. Brown has spent years inside modern offenses. He was part of the Warriors dynasty, watching Steve Cerr revolutionize basketball. He turned Sacramento from a laughingtock into one of the most efficient offenses in NBA history. The numbers speak for themselves. In his first season with the Kings, Brown’s offense posted a 118.6 offensive rating, the highest efficiency rating since the league started tracking it in 1996. They averaged 120 points per game after averaging 110 the year before. Steps through, got it. They went from 29th in pace to third. From 22nd in three-point attempts to seventh. He took Dearon Fox from good to allstar. Damontis Sabonis became an offensive hub, averaging seven assists per game. Even role players like Keegan Murray thrived in the space and pace system. “I thought what this group did this past year shows their potential, not just defensively, but offensively, too,” Brown said at his introductory press conference. “I love their length and versatility. The ceiling is high on both ends.” But Brown’s biggest strength might be his adaptability. In Cleveland with LeBron, he ran ISO heavy sets because that’s what worked. With the Lakers, he tried to implement more movement but ran into resistance. In Sacramento, he built one of the most beautiful offensive systems in basketball. Nobody has bigger expectations than I do, Brown continued. My expectations are high. This is the Knicks. I talked about Madison Square Garden being iconic. Madison Square Garden, it’s iconic. I talked about our fans. I love and embrace the expectations that come along with it. Brown isn’t walking into a rebuild. He’s inheriting elite talent. Jaylen Brunson, AllNBA guard, clutch player of the year. KL Anthony Towns, four-time all-star, one of the best shooting big men in history. Michaela Bridges, two-way wing who can guard one through four. OG Anobi, elite defender with improving offense. Josh Hart, the hustle and heart guy every contender needs. Mitchell Robinson, when healthy, a top five rim protector. But talent without direction is just potential. And that’s where Brown’s track record matters. He’s coached LeBron James. He’s coached Kobe Bryant. He’s won championships as an assistant. He knows what it takes at the highest level. Now, the Knicks knew firing Thibido wasn’t enough. They needed to address the roster flaws that got exposed. And in the first week of free agency, they made two moves that might transform their season. Let’s go back to that horrifying stat. 21 points per game from the bench. Dead last in the NBA. The Lakers at 26 points were second worst. Everyone else was at 30 plus. The league average 37.8. The Knicks were getting outscored by nearly 17 points per game when their starters sat. Enter Jordan Clarkson, the perfect antidote to their bench wos. This isn’t just any bench scorer. Clarkson just averaged 17 points per game for Utah in just 26 minutes. And how did he move out of the way? And then he dishes. He’s been doing this for years. Six straight years averaging above 15 points per game and winning six men of the year in 202021. And he does it efficiently. Career 44.5% from the field and 34.5% from three. But here’s what makes him special. He can create his own shot. Clarkson shoots 41% on pull-up jumpers. He’s elite in isolation, scoring 1.02 points per possession. He can run pick and roll as the ball handler. When Brunson sits and the offense usually dies, Clarkson can keep it humming. In Utah’s playoff runs, he averaged 17 points per game. He doesn’t shrink in big moments. He embraces them. For a Knicks team that just watched leads evaporate whenever Brunson sat. Clarkson is a basketball salvation. But it’s not just his scoring Clarkson brings. Veteran leadership 10 years in the league. Positional versatility. Can play one through three. Lowmaintenance personality. playoff experience at just over $3 million per year for what he brings. That’s highway robbery. While Clarkson fills an obvious need, Yabisle might be the sneakier addition. His way into the paint, kicks it back out. Yabuselli for three and he knocks it down. Yes, the same Yabis who played 74 games for the Celtics and looked overwhelmed. But that was 6 years ago. The player who returned from Europe is completely different. After dominating in Real Madrid, and starring in the Olympics for France, Yabisle brings something the Knicks desperately lack, front court versatility. At 6’8, 260 lb. He’s built like a linebacker, but moves like a wing. In Europe, he transformed his game. His shooting went from 32 to 43% from three over four seasons. His ball handling, can now attack close outs and make plays. defense can legitimately guard two through five with his strength and mobility and IQ became Real Madrid’s closer in crucial games. What makes him perfect for the Knicks? He solves multiple problems at once. When Mitchell Robinson inevitably misses games, the Knicks backup center options were Jericho Sims and Precious Acha. Now they have Yabisle who can play small ball five while providing spacing. These signings aren’t sexy. They won’t sell jerseys, but they directly address what killed the Knicks. No bench production and no lineup flexibility. The Knicks have taken three massive swings in the last 12 months. Trading for Male Bridges, trading for Carl Anthony Towns, and firing their most successful coach in decades. They’ve bet everything on this call working. The draft capital is gone. The financial flexibility is gone. If Mike Brown can’t unlock what Thibido couldn’t, there’s no plan B. But here’s why it might actually work and why the rest of the NBA should be concerned. The pace revolution. Browns Sacramento teams played at a 100.2 possessions per game. Third in the NBA. Expect the Knicks to push the tempo which plays to Brunson’s strengths in transition and gets easier buckets for a team that struggled in the half court. Brunson still gets into the paint. Oh my god. Flo’s good. We’re tied. More possessions equals more opportunities. less pressure on each individual possession. The spacing solution. Brown will likely implement more five out concepts, forcing teams to guard everyone and opening driving lanes for Brunson. Towns shooting 8 to 10 threes per game instead of posting up changes the entire geometry of the offense. The minutes management with actual depth from the bench, the starters won’t be dead by May. Fresh legs in the playoffs could be the difference. Imagine Bridges and Anobi at full strength defensively in June instead of running on empty. Then there’s the Town’s Renaissance. In Sacramento, Brown maximized Sabonis as a passing hub while maintaining his scoring. Imagine what he could do with Town’s superior shooting ability. We might see Towns average 25, 10, and 5 while shooting 40% from three. Get the lead in the playoffs. Bridges double cutting and jackhammers. Then there’s the Eastern Conference vacuum. Boston and Indiana lost their stars to torn Achilles. Giannis has no real help. Philadelphia is always one Embiid injury away from disaster. The path to the finals hasn’t been this open for years. If the Knicks put it together, if Brown maximizes the talent, if the bench holds up, if Towns and Brunson continue to develop chemistry, they’re not just a playoff team, they’re a championship contender. And in a league where New York has been irrelevant for two decades, a great Knicks team changes everything. The Garden becomes mustsee TV again. Free agents actually want to come. The biggest market in basketball matters again. That’s the NBA’s potential New York problem. The Knicks just made their biggest gamble in decades. They fired a coach who took them to the conference finals, brought in an offensive innovator, and added the bench depth that destroyed them in June. Mike Brown isn’t walking into the mess Thibido inherited. He’s got allstar talent, actual depth, and an organization that’s finally acting like the big market powerhouse it should be. The question isn’t whether they’ll be good. They will be. The question is whether good becomes great. Does the NBA have a New York Knicks problem? Not yet. But if Mike Brown unlocks this roster’s potential, if Clarkson solves their bench scoring, if Yabosle provides the versatility they lack, if the stars stay healthy, the league might have to deal with something it hasn’t seen in 25 years. a Knicks team that are serious contenders. So, what do you think? Is this finally the year the Knicks break through, or are we watching another classic New York overreaction? Drop your thoughts in the comments below. 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The New York Knicks are no longer just a feel-good story—this team is a real threat, and the rest of the NBA better take notice. In this video, we break down why the Knicks may becoming a serious problem for the league in the 2025/26 NBA season. Led by the unstoppable Jalen Brunson, this Knicks squad has found the perfect mix of grit, talent, and chemistry.

With a new coach in Mike Brown and additions to the roster in Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele Madison Square Garden is on the way to once again be the center of the basketball universe, and the Knicks are making sure it stays that way. If you want to know what makes this team so scary right now, this is the video you can’t miss.

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