00:00The Knicks just won an NBA championship with a pretty dope run.
00:03One where they won 13 straight playoff games after falling behind Atlanta two games to one
00:07and 15 of their final 16 postseason games.
00:11So naturally, Mike Brown wants to change things.
00:14And in case you're asking why, well, he doesn't want to tear it down
00:17and he definitely doesn't want to start over.
00:19Instead, he wants to take the offense that helped win a championship
00:22and see how much further that it can go.
00:30I think we unlocked something last year during the playoffs in a time of need and it worked.
00:35So it's going to be fun to kind of integrate it, fun of getting the season too.
00:40So when we look back at it, the most important offensive change of last season was born out of necessity.
00:47With the Knicks trailing Atlanta two games to one,
00:49Carl Anthony Towns asked for Coach Brown to switch it up
00:52and he began operating as the hub of the offense.
00:54For Cat, that meant more touches at the elbow, more playmaking opportunities,
00:59as well as chances to use his size and passing to force defenses into making quick decisions.
01:04Now, because of this change, Brunson could move without the ball.
01:07O.J. Ananobi and Mikkel Bridges could screen, cut, and attack defenses that were already shifting.
01:13And the results, they were quite dramatic.
01:15When the Knicks postseason win streak reached 10 last spring,
01:18the Bakers averaged 122.2 points per game.
01:21That's the highest scoring average by any team during a 10-0 postseason run.
01:26Cat averaged 6.9 assists per game during that winning streak.
01:30But here's what makes this season different.
01:33Last year, the Knicks discovered this version of their offense while their season was in danger.
01:38This season, they get an entire training camp to build it on purpose
01:42and learn from what worked last year and what didn't work for this group.
01:46Early in training camp, Coach Brown isn't just talking more about Cat when it comes to evolving the offense.
01:51He has stated that the experience everyone has gained has mattered,
01:55and a year with this roster has taught him more about what his players can do.
01:59He's already specifically mentioned getting O.J. Ananobi and Mikkel Bridges more involved
02:03at the top of the floor after seeing how effective both could be in pick-and-roll actions.
02:08But then, Brown took it a bit further.
02:25You have to love the fact Mike Brown isn't being rigid here with his offense.
02:29Just think about the possibilities.
02:31Cat facilitating from the elbow.
02:33Brunson attacking a defense without having to initiate every possession.
02:37OG seeing some minutes as a small ball center, which would allow the Knicks more opportunities
02:41to play five-out basketball.
02:43Bridges getting more creation opportunities, and even Andre Drummond being tested as a passer.
02:50Now, will all of these things work?
02:52Well, Brown has already said that some of what worked in the playoffs may not work during an 82-game
02:57regular season, and that the Knicks have to be willing to evolve again.
03:01We know the old saying, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
03:04The temptation after winning a championship is to preserve everything.
03:08Rock with the same roles, the same lineups, same formula.
03:11But the Knicks' own historic title run showed us why that can be dangerous.
03:16What we saw was the team that finished the season wasn't exactly the team that started it.
03:20Throughout the course of the 2025-2026 NBA season, the Knicks changed their defense.
03:25They changed how they used towns, and they even changed how they maximized Brunson.
03:30They realized their best basketball came after they were willing to admit there actually might
03:36be a better way.
03:37So, maybe the biggest question for the Knicks' preseason isn't whether the champions look
03:42like they did in June.
03:43Maybe it's whether they can find something fresh.
03:46Because defending a title doesn't mean recreating last season.
03:49It means taking what worked and truly examining it so you can figure out why it worked, and then
03:55making the rest of the league adjust to you all over again.
03:58The Knicks found their championship formula last spring.
04:01Now we're about to find out whether that was the finished product or just the beginning
04:05of sustained excellence.
04:06.
04:07Cheng
04:09.
04:12.
04:13You
