Mike Brown finally granted Knicks fans their longtime wish

It finally happened.
May 10, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guards Miles McBride (2) and Jalen Brunson (11) sit on the bench in the closing minute of the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics during game three of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
May 10, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guards Miles McBride (2) and Jalen Brunson (11) sit on the bench in the closing minute of the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics during game three of the second round for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Mike Brown is clearly prepared to do what Tom Thibodeau did not: see whether the New York Knicks can survive with a five-out lineup featuring Deuce McBride alongside the Core Four starters.

Though Mitchell Robinson received the starting nod for the second consecutive preseason game against the Philadelphia 76ers, McBride received time alongside Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns to close. The stint lasted just three minutes and 25 seconds, but the lineup showed enough to demand it become a staple during the regular season.

New York outscored the Sixers 11-4 in its Deuce-plus-the-starters stretch. The bulk of that time was spent operating in semi-transition, which is sort of the point. The Knicks seldom allowed Philly’s defense to get set. When they did, there was so much space it didn’t matter: 

Any five-man unit that invites Bridges to take his drives all the way to the basket should be considered a keeper. Especially when the all-spacers look bent Philly’s defense to the point of breaking. Preseason caveats apply, but the Sixers stumbled into a foul-happy fit when trying to guard the Deuce-plus-the-starters arrangement.

The Knicks are still in data-collection mode with this lineup

None of what we’re watching now should be considered a revelation. But it is. And that’s on Thibodeau.

Last year, across both the regular season and playoffs, the McBride-plus-core-starters lineup totaled just 103 possessions together. That comes out to under 50 minutes, which is absolutely inexcusable.

So much of why the Knicks traded for Karl-Anthony Towns last fall is rooted in his ability to stretch the floor, and unlock five-out lineups that obliterate defensive infrastructures. Thibs didn’t just completely ignore the McBride-instead-of-Josh Hart setup. He almost entirely glossed over those five-out combinations. 

Of the 3,156 minutes KAT racked up through the regular season and playoffs, over 78 percent came alongside Hart. More than 93 percent of his court time, meanwhile, came with at least one non-shooter on the floor. 

This is—and pretty much wound up becoming—a fireable offense. Brown clearly isn’t going to fall into that trap. Even when it’s not with lineups populated mostly by starters, he has shown more of an inclination to favor five-out looks.

New York’s starting-five conversation just got a lot more interesting

Wholesale decisions should not be made off sub-four-minute preseason samples, but sliding Deuce into the opening lineup loomed as a potential cheat code before the Knicks ever opened their training-camp doors. The fivesome’s brief appearance against the Sixers does nothing to quash that feeling.

All evidence, of course, points toward Robinson receiving the opening-tip nod. And you know what? That’s okay! 

The thing about Deuce-plus-the-starters is this lineup doesn’t actually have to start. It just has to be used, and maybe even treated as a go-to closing unit. 

We can quibble over when this group is deployed later. For now, fans should bask in the knowledge that Deuce will play with the Core Four starters at all.