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The New York Knicks have a star player in Jalen Brunson, but new head coach Mike Brown may make a change with him.
The New York Knicks have a lot of the same superstars that they did last season, which is a good thing, because the team had a tight 2024-25 run. But, not everything is the same. The team, of course, has a new head coach in Mike Brown, and he’s going to put his stamp on this franchise and make it his own.
Whenever there’s a new head coach in town, things change, even if many of the players remain the same. Brown is being tasked with getting this team to the actual championship game, after last season, which saw New York making it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals but losing to the Indiana Pacers.
As the 2025-26 season approaches, some are wondering where Knicks star Jalen Brunson fits into this new team and how he’ll work with the very different head coaching style from Brown. With that in mind, one NBA analyst thinks Brunson’s role with the team might change in the new season.
The New York Knicks May Switch Things Up
Brown will undeniably make sure the Knicks’ pace picks up in the new season. In a feature published on Monday, July 14, in The Daily Knicks, Atticus O’Brien-Pappalardo makes the case that with Brown’s desire to “speed things up and space things out,” in regards to Brunson, “that could mean a shift away from on-ball dominance and an increase in off-ball actions.”
“Knicks’ summer league coach Jordan Brink has already confirmed that Brown wants the team to play faster,” O’Brien-Pappalardo notes in the feature. “While the summer squad hasn’t displayed the positives of an up-tempo offense, with two poor showings so far, it does give us an idea of what we might see this season.”
While O’Brien-Pappalardo says that “Brunson will still be the center of the Knicks’ offensive solar system,” which makes sense, he also says that the change under Brown may “mean fewer isolation possessions” for him.
Jalen Brunson Change Could Have a ‘Ripple Effect’ on Knicks Offense
This change, O’Brien-Pappalardo notes, “could have a ripple effect on the rest of the offense” and mean more on-ball time for some of the other Knicks stars. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.
If Brunson is playing as hard during the regular season, that will leave him more fresh for the playoffs. “Brunson has proven to be a workhorse, as have most of the Knicks’ lineup,” O’Brien-Pappalardo states, “but they looked gassed in the Eastern Conference Finals.”
Heading into the new season, ESPN ranked he Knicks No. 7 in the NBA. Chris Herring had some glowing words for the team, noting that the team “reached the conference finals with a highly talented starting five — albeit one that was outscored during the second half of the season and in the playoffs — and a thin bench. One group or the other, if not both, will need an upgrade to win it all next season.”
So, it might be jarring to see Brunson get less on-ball time, because he’s the heart of the franchise. But, if it works in the long run, that’s what matters. It will be interesting to see how Brown and Brunson work together, and let’s hope it’s a match made in NBA heaven.
Anne Erickson is an award-winning reporter for Heavy Sports covering the NFL, NBA and college football. Anne Erickson has years of experience covering the NFL and additional sports, and her work has been published via ESPN, Fox Sports and more. She has interviewed some of the biggest names in sports, including Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff. Erickson also hosts several podcasts and is a Detroit-based radio host. More about Anne Erickson
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