Expectations couldn’t be higher in New York entering the 2025-26 season, which tips off on Oct. 21. In Brown, the Knicks hired a coach who knows a thing or two about managing a championship-or-bust mentality.
Brown earned his first high-stakes job 20 years ago in May 2005, when the Cleveland Cavaliers hired him entering LeBron James’ third NBA season.
Taking over for a team that went 42-40 in 2004-05 and missed the playoffs, Brown coached the Cavs to their first 50-win season since 1992-93 in his first year and the NBA Finals in 2006-07, when Cleveland was overmatched by the superior San Antonio Spurs.
Overall, Brown was 305-187 in five seasons as Cavaliers head coach, including leading the team to a franchise-best 66-16 record in 2008-09.
He was fired following the 2010 season and resurfaced as Phil Jackson’s successor for the Los Angeles Lakers in 2011-12. He didn’t have nearly as much success in L.A. and was fired five games into Year 2 after an offseason when the Lakers added Hall of Famers Steve Nash and Dwight Howard.
In retrospect, that team was a sinking ship, and it’s hard to fault Brown for failing a Lakers team in the waning days of their dynasty.
Those were his most pressurized previous environments, but arguably his biggest challenge came at his most recent stop, when he took over the Sacramento Kings, who had a 16-year postseason drought before Brown’s arrival. In his first season (2022-23), the Kings went 48-34, and he was named NBA Coach of the Year for the second time.
While never winning a championship as a head coach, Brown has gotten the most out of his rosters at each stop. With apologies to Daniel Gibson and Anderson Varejao, he’s also arguably never had a roster as talented from top to bottom as in New York.
With a spate of Achilles injuries to stars of top East contenders, including Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton, Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum and former Bucks guard Damian Lillard, who was waived on Tuesday, the Knicks have a prime opportunity in front of them in 2025-26 to win the conference for the first time since 1999.
Barring a trade (or trades), New York will return its starting five from last season — OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Towns — while adding recent free-agent acquisitions Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele.
Center Michell Robinson, who only appeared in 48 regular-season games the past two seasons while dealing with an ankle injury, is back at full strength. He’s been the subject of trade rumors, but even if Robinson, who is set to play on an expiring $12.95 million contract, is dealt, the Knicks will likely gain a rotational piece in return.
Last season, New York was last in bench scoring (21.7 points per game). During Brown’s two full seasons as Kings head coach, Sacramento ranked ninth (37.3 points per game) and 12th (35.7 points per game) in bench production. (h/t RealGM)
Brown will be under immense pressure to not just maintain the standard set by Thibodeau but to exceed it. That’s a lot to ask. At least Brown has been here before.
