"Don't Skip Steps": Mike Brown Talks About His Approach In His First Year As New York Knicks Head Coach

Just two years ago, Mike Brown was making history as the first-ever unanimously voted NBA Coach of the Year. Though he appeared to have a long future in Sacramento, Brown’s stint with the Kings took an unexpected turn when he was dismissed last December.

Now, Brown is at the helm of one of the most storied franchises in the NBA: the New York Knicks. During the Knicks’ media day, the 55-year-old mentor opened up about the type of offense that fans can expect from him and his team.

“I want to get to a point where we can play conceptually and everybody’s on the same page,” Brown told reporters. “Our staples are really important for us, starting with pace, spacing, paint touches, quick decisions, ball reversals.”

Brown doubled down on his idea of “conceptual” basketball, explaining that this higher level of execution on offense is more likely to confound opposing teams.

“Now, you take a step further. In our offense, we have what we call our ‘automatics’...if the ball goes this way and a body goes that way, then that tells the next player, you gotta go this way or that way,” Brown said. “To play conceptually without calls, in my opinion, is to your advantage because the defense doesn’t know what’s coming.”

From the sound of it, Brown was relishing the opportunity to talk Xs and Os on media day. After all, he is a two-time Coach of the Year who has mentored a young LeBron James and orchestrated the exciting offense of the 2022-23 Sacramento Kings squad.

That Kings team, led by De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, took the defending champions Golden State Warriors to the limit in the first round of the playoffs. However, Sacramento failed to make the playoffs the following season, and after a 13-18 start in 2024-25, the team decided to let go of Brown.

Now, he’ll open a new chapter in his career as he coaches the likes of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and Karl-Anthony Towns in the Big Apple. This year, the Knicks made their first conference final appearance in 25 years. Brown, of course, will be looking to surpass that.

“We don’t want to skip any steps,” Brown emphasized on media day.