The Knicks finally got a night Wednesday that looked a lot more like the offense they’ve been trying to build.
After a rough opening stretch marked by shaky two-point shooting and slow starts from Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges, New York’s attack woke up in the win over the Bulls and pushed the team to 4-4. The clearest sign of that turnaround wasn’t just the scoring - it was the way the Knicks leaned into their motion offense.
That’s the engine of this group. It’s the safety valve when a possession starts to fall apart, and it’s also a featured part of the plan, with the pinch post and perimeter movement helping keep the offense alive.
The idea isn’t that motion is always the cleanest or most efficient option. It’s that the Knicks can lean on it when things get messy.
Through the first eight games, though, that part of the offense had been a problem. Turnovers have been a big reason why.
New York has been giving the ball away on 17.2% of its motion possessions, compared with 13.3% in set plays and 11.4% in freelance chances. Learning to play concept basketball can take time, and early-season growing pains are part of the process.
Against Chicago, though, the Knicks showed real progress. They used motion at their highest frequency of the season and got their best efficiency from it too, matching their expected output.
The system Mike Brown calls “Nova” - or, as the breakdown describes it, a “Weave” - starts with two players in the slot, two in the corners and the center in the dunker spot. That four-out, one-in setup gives the Knicks room to work either in live action or after a breakdown. It also opens driving lanes for both slot handlers and makes the spacing easier to manage.
One sequence featured Tyler Kolek and Bridges in the first handoff. When the defense didn’t switch, Bridges attacked off the exchange.
If that initial look gets taken away, the action can flow right into a corner handoff. That’s the point of the system: read the defense, keep the ball moving and avoid the dead possessions that stall an offense.
There’s still a long way to go with it. The Knicks have had a tougher time with this style early this season than they did when they first picked it up.
Brown pushed it hard early last year, when New York was running it at an average rate in the high 30s to 40%. This season, that number is down to 21%.
Turnovers have made the adjustment even harder. Last season, the Knicks had four games with a half-court turnover rate under 10%. They haven’t had one yet this year.
So even if Wednesday’s success came with strong shooting, it still mattered. The Bulls game gave the Knicks something they’ve needed: a cleaner look at what this offense can be when it’s clicking.
In Other News...
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Andre Drummonds fit with the Knicks has taken on a strangely modern look, with the big man being asked to spend time in the corner and fire away from deep in a role he also handled with the 76ers. It is not the kind of usage most people associate with a center, but the idea is straightforward: if Drummond is willing to stand there and take those shots, the floor opens up for everyone else.
Last season, Drummond put up a career-high number of corner threes and finished at a clip that was close to the league average, which gives New York some reason to keep leaning into the experiment. The trade-off is obvious, since he still struggles to finish at the rim, but the Knicks appear willing to live with that if the spacing helps the offense find cleaner looks for the rest of the roster. [Read more 🡒]
Former Knicks Guard Just Landed In An Uncomfortable Spot For New York
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McCullar had been with the Knicks on two-way contracts before being waived earlier this season, and Toronto was able to add him without making a corresponding roster move. He can suit up in up to 45 regular-season games for the Raptors, though his path to the postseason still depends on getting elevated to the standard roster, leaving his next step in Toronto worth watching from a Knicks perspective. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Are Sending Mikal Bridges A Clear Early-Season Message
Mike Brown has wasted little time sending Mikal Bridges a message this season. The Knicks coach has been pulling the starting wing earlier in games than he did a year ago, a notable shift for a player who signed a four-year contract extension and was expected to remain a central part of New Yorks rotation.
Bridges defense was a major factor in the Knicks playoff run last spring, but Brown has made it clear the bar stays high even for established pieces. With New York trying to defend its NBA title, Bridges will need to shake off his early shooting issues and earn back the kind of closing minutes that usually come with his role. [Read more 🡒]