Mike Brown promised many, many changes to the New York Knicks offense upon taking over for Tom Thibodeau. Most of them have already been implemented. His vow to get the offense playing at a noticeably faster pace, though? Not so much.
And there’s a chance, if not a strong likelihood, that doesn’t change.
Last year, the average Knicks offensive possession took 15.47 seconds. That ranked 28th in the NBA, trailing only the Brooklyn Nets (29th) and Orlando Magic (30th). This year, New York’s average offensive possession is taking 15.37 seconds. That again is good for the 28th-fastest mark, behind only the Houston Rockets (29th) and Los Angeles Clippers (30th).
The speed at which the Knicks are operating is virtually unchanged. The same holds true even when filtering out possessions that feature offensive rebounds. New York’s first-chance offense is taking an average of 14.56 seconds. That’s just a hair faster than last year’s mark of 14.88 seconds.
No one’s going to stress over the offense’s cadence when it ranks first in efficiency. The Knicks are also implementing plenty of Brown’s other preferred tenets. Jalen Brunson is no longer spending nearly as much time on the ball, and the offense is launching a boatload more threes.
Still, given how much Brown emphasized the importance of playing with space, it’s fair to wonder whether he—and the rest of us—need to reorient our expectations.
The Knicks are not really playing with that much pace right now
As James L. Edwards III of The Athletic notes, the Knicks are generating more field-goal attempts with between 15 and seven seconds left on the shot clock. This is to some extent proof they’re trying to operate at a faster clip relative to last year.
At the same time, the 15-to-seven range is considered an average pace. The Knicks are falling short of the league’s middle-ground speed overall. About 20.4 percent of their attempts are coming with seven seconds or less on the shot clock. That’s down from last season’s mark of 21.9 percent, but not by much.
After establishing a much larger transition presence during the preseason, New York isn’t getting out on the break that often, either. Just 14 percent of their possessions are coming in transition. That ranks 27th, and is actually down from 14.5 percent in 2024-25.
This Knicks roster may not be built to play fast
Quicker sets could come in time. The Knicks are still learning Mike Brown’s offense, which features a lot more ball movement. As they get more comfortable making certain reads, the pace could accelerate.
Generally speaking, New York is also doing a better job of getting the ball across half-court faster. Its possessions are spilling into later-clock territory anyway, but the rate at which they play doesn’t feel as laborious.
With all of that said, we shouldn’t bank on the Knicks getting much faster. Their two best players, Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, aren’t hard-wired to play at a frenetic pace. And while OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges now have more of a license to run the ball up the floor off rebounds, they aren’t always comfortable pushing the pace inside the half-court.
Fielding more dual-big lineups only figures to complicate New York’s ambitious pacing goals. The KAT-Mitchell Robinson combination is not built to fly up and down the floor.
Second units will likely be the primary vehicle through which the Knicks can increase tempo. Josh Hart and Deuce McBride can run. Ditto for Jordan Clarkson. Guerschon Yabusele, well, not so much.
There are also other avenues New York can explore. Giving Hart or Deuce more time with the starters is a surefire way to inflate tempo. Even then, though, the Knicks don’t have the ideal personnel to actualize Brown’s faster-paced intention.
And to be sure, this isn’t a failure. Quality of shots matters more than anything, and the Knicks are second in shot quality. Their offense, by all appearances, is going to be special—just not especially fast.