The New York Knicks entered the 2025-26 season with a number of players on the roster who weren't exactly known for their defensive intensity. It was one of the big question marks facing a Knicks side that underperformed on defense relative to their potential in 2024-25.
Thankfully, Mike Brown achieved the improbable by getting offensive-minded players to buy in on defense and help New York transform its identity.
The Knicks finished the 2024-25 season at No. 13 in the NBA in defensive rating. During their first season under Brown, they jumped to No. 7. Though a healthy Mitchell Robinson undoubtedly played a part, there was more to it than getting their anchor back.
The primary reason the Knicks improved on defense was the simple fact that players who have never been known for defense suddenly embraced the importance of it.
Chief among those players was All-NBA big man Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns has long been an offensive dynamo, but his defensive consistency has left much to be desired. In 2025-26, however, he emerged as one of the best two-way bigs in the Association.
That epitomizes how Brown got through to his players and achieved a level of buy-in on defense that ultimately fueled New York's path to a title.
Mike Brown got offensive-minded players to buy in on defense
According to Basketball Index, Towns finished the 2025-26 season in the 91st percentile in rim protection and the 98th percentile in screener mobile defense. Both of those statistics reflect the visible shift in intensity that Towns experienced.
In terms of how drastic of a turnaround that truly was, Towns finished 2024-25 in the 78th and 46th percentiles in those same statistics.
Beyond the numbers, Towns often found himself struggling when tasked with defending out in space or consistently protecting the rim. He had a tendency to overcommit along the perimeter and shy away from contact closer to the basket.
That all but completely changed in 2025-26, with Towns' physical defense on Victor Wembanyama in the NBA Finals playing a direct role in the title win.
Along those same lines, players such as Jordan Clarkson and Landry Shamet were long heralded for their offensive impact, but criticized for either their on or off-ball defensive inconsistency. Both bought in to the point of becoming pivotal reserves whose intensity on both ends of the floor earned them meaningful postseason minutes.
Considering the Knicks went 9-0 during the playoffs when they allowed fewer than 100 points, it's safe to say Brown getting his players to buy in on defense is what won New York its title.
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