The Knicks' 133-120 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies marked their fifth straight win. It is the first time in the franchise's history that they've scored at least 130 points in three consecutive games. There is one thing above all else that has allowed the Knicks to score at will - and that is their harmonious ball movement.
Knicks ball movement has improved drastically
In the 2024-25 NBA season, the team averaged 281.2 passes per game, which ranked 18th in the league. Through the first 10 games of this season, New York is averaging 315.6 passes per game. It is a smaller sample size, but it's still a 34.4 uptick from last year. That is a significant difference in how the Knicks are approaching the game under Mike Brown.
There is a concerted effort to spread the ball around and get everyone involved - and if watching the games doesn't prove it to you then the numbers should.
Passing translates to balanced scoring
New York has had extremely balanced scoring from the starting lineup to the bench. Amidst this five game win streak, the Knicks have ammounted over 30 assists in each of those five games. They've averaged 32.2 assists over this five game stretch.
By passing the ball more, the Knicks are accumulating more assists, which gets everyone involved. At least six players have scored in double figures during every game of the aforementioned win streak.
When any team plays this style of basketball you don't have to rely too much on one single player - and Mike Brown is at the forefront of this change.
Brown has consistently played at least nine players deep, which is something former head coach Tom Thibodeau would never do. Combining elite ball movement with bench utilization has created an offensive explosion and the Knicks don't seem to be slowing down any time soon.
Short term to long term success
As mentioned before, this is still a small sample size. The Knicks have done this over the span of five games. They've played 10 total games, which means they still have 72 games left. The team still needs to prove that they can maintain this style of play over a long period of time.
Now is it likely they will continue to put up these staggering numbrs night in and night out? No, it's not. The video game numbers will even out over time. While the numbers may not always be video game like, the game plan is what can never waiver.