Knicks head coach Mike Brown isn’t sweating missed photographs in mid-October.
New York improved to 3-0 within the preseason with Thursday’s 110-105 extra time win over the Minnesota Timberwolves — an exhibition that supplied much less about polish and extra about course of. The beginning 5 of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Cities, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Mitchell Robinson mixed for simply 45 factors on 45 shot makes an attempt, capturing 33% from the sector and 6-of-22 from three.
However for Brown—employed to raise the Knicks into championship rivalry—shot high quality issues greater than shot-making. If a possession consists of paint penetration, defensive collapse and a spray-out to an open shooter, it’s a win, no matter whether or not the shot falls.
“We ended up with 23 sprays for the game, which is pretty good. We didn’t shoot it well, and that’s OK,” Brown stated. “I assumed we went via stretches the place we took nice photographs. At the beginning of the sport, we had loads of nice photographs — the kind of photographs we needed — and we missed, which I’m OK with, particularly proper now.
“I want them to keep taking those shots.”
The Knicks missed their first 5 three-point makes an attempt within the opening three minutes and went 2-of-12 from deep within the first quarter, ending the half simply 3-of-16 from past the arc. Brown’s greater concern wasn’t the share — it was how his workforce reacted when the photographs didn’t fall.
“After [the ball] didn’t go in through the first part of the first quarter, I thought our guys stopped trusting it a little bit,” he stated. “We started holding onto the ball too much. The ball wasn’t popping. The spacing wasn’t there. We weren’t touching the paint.”
In complete, the Knicks tried 57 threes on the evening — changing simply 15. However that quantity represents progress. Below Tom Thibodeau final season, New York ranked bottom-five in three-point makes an attempt at 34.1 per recreation. They tried 40 or extra threes simply 20 occasions and eclipsed 50 solely as soon as.
Brown is constructing a brand new offensive basis—brick by brick—and that features giving his gamers permission to overlook. Brunson, who completed with 11 factors on 4-of-14 capturing (1-of-6 from three), echoed his coach’s long-view strategy.
“We’re getting good looks, and we’re really trying to hit home all the stuff we’ve been working on all preseason,” Brunson stated. “In basketball, sometimes it goes in, sometimes it doesn’t. But we just got to do the things we know contribute to winning.”
Bridges led the Knicks with 15 factors on 6-of-12 capturing, together with 3-of-7 from deep. He sees early indicators of success in Brown’s pace-and-space system, significantly within the “two-way stunts” that drive defenders to decide on between collapsing on drivers or staying residence on shooters.
“Just the pace and ball movement — the other team’s got to guard that,” Bridges stated. “Them over-helping or trying to get back makes them scramble, and we got guys that can all make the right play. It’s just about getting to know each other, knowing where our spots are going to be. We shoot every day, trust one another, and try to find the right spots.”
To Brown, a missed open three is progress. The one unhealthy possession is one which deviates from the blueprint.
“I thought we had some good looks that we just missed,” he stated. “Particularly proper now, I don’t care if we win or lose so long as we maintain making an attempt to play the precise method and belief it. We now have not a great capturing workforce — [but] an awesome capturing workforce.
“We’re getting catch-and-shoot shots when our feet are set, the defense is collapsing, and then having to go back out. I’ll take that every day, any time of the day or night.”
Proper now, the Knicks’ coach doesn’t care in regards to the document. Brown cares about whether or not his workforce can belief the system if the photographs don’t fall.
“I thought we got a lot of [those two-way stunts] until we started holding onto the ball and taking quick shots without touching the paint,” he stated. “We did take some powerful ones, and in these cases, we’ll be taught and we’ll develop.
“But we have to be a little bit more consistent with it throughout the course of the game.”
