We know that Mike Brown wants the Knicks to play faster this season, something his former teams in Golden State and Sacramento became known for. In his opening press conference, he emphasized that today's league is built around pace-and-space. The changes Brown wants to implement are already on display in Las Vegas, as the Knicks have been one of the more up-tempo teams in the summer league.
Under Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks have routinely been one of the slowest teams in the league. Since Jalen Brunson joined the Knicks three years ago, the team's pace has gotten even slower.
Brunson is a brilliant basketball player, and often the Knicks' offense relied on his brilliance in isolation to function. Brown wants to change that. He wants to space things out and speed things up, getting more players involved and creating better opportunities with off-ball movement.
Brown's desires have clearly been communicated to Jordan Brink and the rest of the summer league coaching staff, as there has been a noticeable uptick in the speed at which they are playing.
The summer Knicks are playing fast
So far, through three summer league games, the Knicks are taking only 3.66 seconds to halfcourt, the third-quickest of any team, according to league tracking data. Similarly, they are getting into their first action in only 5.75 seconds, which is once again the third-fastest among any team. As a result, their average possession length has dropped all the way down to 13.2 seconds.
For reference, last season the Knicks took an average of 4.53 seconds to cross halfcourt, the fourth-slowest of any team in the league. Additionally, it took an average of 6.99 seconds for them to get to their first action, the longest of any team in the league.
The summer league offense has struggled
While the tempo has definitely been raised, the results haven't been what the Knicks have hoped for, at least so far. The Knicks are averaging just 0.978 points per possession, the seventh-lowest mark in Vegas.
Their most recent game, against the Brooklyn Nets, was a major step in the right direction, as New York generated 1.1 points per possession. That said, their pace slowed a bit from the first.
Ultimately, results in summer league mean little to nothing, outside the pride players take in winning. What matters is how the roster responds to these implementations in the fall, and if their offensive production can increase at a higher tempo.