On Media Day, Jalen Brunson stressed it was going to take time to adjust to Mike Brown's up-tempo offensive system. Now, after just two preseason games, fans should be thrilled to know that the adjustment seems to be going faster than anyone could have hoped.
Speaking to the media after the Knicks' second preseason game, Brown spoke about the adjustment, saying, "Jalen, he's starting to adjust. You can see it. I think this is going to be good for him because you can see how much space he has...Him getting used to run, run, run, run, run, and still be effective, whether on the ball or off the ball, it was great to see. You can see he's starting to get his feet underneath him a little bit, understand how to play at that frantic pace."
Brunson echoed that sentiment, saying that he was comfortable with the pace, while also noting that it will be something that the team will continue to get better at as the season progresses.
The change of pace is a welcome sight to see
With the glaring caveat being, yes, it is only preseason, the increase in pace shown by the Knicks has been a breath of fresh air. New York has routinely been among the slowest teams in the league when it comes to pace of play over the last few seasons.
While they have still been an effective offense, it felt like things were getting stale last season, and far too often, the Knicks' offense could be boiled down to Brunson having to create something out of nothing.
Again, it is just preseason, and the sample size is small, but the Knicks' pace has been at 101.3 so far. Last season, the Knicks ranked 26th in the league with an average pace of 97.6.
Learning from their mistakes
Last season, the Knicks looked gassed as they tried to keep up with the pace and depth of the Indiana Pacers. Similarly, the Oklahoma City Thunder used an incredibly deep rotation to win the finals.
The Knicks have added significant depth to their roster, and Brown has made it clear that he plans to expand his rotation to nine or 10 players. Using that kind of depth should allow the Knicks to play at a higher pace without losing steam. The players are buying in, and the impact can already be seen. What is most exciting for Knicks fans, as Brunson alluded to, is that they're only going to get more comfortable as they continue to stack up reps.