In Mike Brown's first year with the New York Knicks, fans have learned quickly that the coach is unsurprisingly unafraid to credit his staff whenever possible. Brown was hired after an offseason of searching for a "collaborative" coach, and seemingly prides himself on not viewing himself as above accountability or doling out credit when due. After the Knicks' 18-point comeback victory over the Houston Rockets on Saturday, the team's head coach credited assistant Rick Brunson with the idea to close with Jose Alvarado, who had three steals in the fourth quarter, over Josh Hart.
Brown credits Rick Brunson for Alvarado-for-Hart substitution
The Knicks are about two-thirds of the way through Brown's first season. This certainly isn't the first instance of the coach crediting one of his assistants for a game-saving change, whether it be Darren Erman restoring some of Tom Thibodeau's defensive principles or Jordan Brink deciding when the team should use their coach's challenges.
Brown has left some of New York's key starters watching from the sidelines in crunch time, whether Mitchell Robinson is protecting the rim in place of Karl-Anthony Towns or Landry Shamet is guarding the point of attack in place of Mikal Bridges. Alvarado, however, was just acquired by the team in early February and hasn't had many opportunities to displace regular starters in crunch time.
As the guard has settled in, however, it seems that the coaching staff's trust in him is steadily beginning to grow. That extends to Brunson, whose suggestion to close the game with the feisty guard seemingly carried plenty of weight with the head coach in Brown.
Brunson was the assistant coach that Brown credited earlier in the season with the idea to get back to the starting lineup that played the vast majority of minutes for the team last season. That lineup of Jalen Brunson, Bridges, Hart, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns has delivered mixed results. But it gave the team the stability they needed to make a successful run through the third-ever NBA Cup.
The elder Brunson's guidance went in the other direction on Saturday night, with his advice to Brown involving leaving someone on the bench in Hart that he had previously vouched for as a starter. Given the staff's decision to ride with Alvarado and Shamet over Hart and Bridges, it's clear what Brown made of the suggestion.
The 55-year-old head coach is eager to collaborate with staff, players, and management above. It's one of the main characteristics that reportedly helped him land the gig last offseason. The Knicks need to lean into that kind of collaboration, whether that's role players stepping up in big moments or starters stepping aside to make the way for them.