Knicks head coach Mike Brown isn’t sweating missed shots in mid-October.
New York improved to 3-0 in the preseason with Thursday’s 110-105 overtime win over the Minnesota Timberwolves — an exhibition that offered less about polish and more about process. The starting five of Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Mitchell Robinson combined for just 45 points on 45 shot attempts, shooting 33% from the field and 6-of-22 from three.
But for Brown—hired to elevate the Knicks into championship contention—shot quality matters more than shot-making. If a possession includes paint penetration, defensive collapse and a spray-out to an open shooter, it’s a win, regardless of whether 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 said. “I thought we went through stretches where we took great shots. At the start of the game, we had a lot of great shots — the type of shots we wanted — and we missed, which I’m OK with, especially right now.
“I want them to keep taking those shots.”
The Knicks missed their first five three-point attempts in the opening three minutes and went 2-of-12 from deep in the first quarter, finishing the half just 3-of-16 from beyond the arc. Brown’s bigger concern wasn’t the percentage — it was how his team reacted when the shots 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 said. “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 total, the Knicks attempted 57 threes on the night — converting just 15. But that number represents progress. Under Tom Thibodeau last season, New York ranked bottom-five in three-point attempts at 34.1 per game. They attempted 40 or more threes just 20 times and eclipsed 50 only once.
Brown is building a new offensive foundation—brick by brick—and that includes giving his players permission to miss. Brunson, who finished with 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting (1-of-6 from three), echoed his coach’s long-view approach.
“We’re getting good looks, and we’re really trying to hit home all the stuff we’ve been working on all preseason,” Brunson said. “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 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 3-of-7 from deep. He sees early signs of success in Brown’s pace-and-space system, particularly in the “two-way stunts” that force defenders to choose between collapsing on drivers or staying home on shooters.
“Just the pace and ball movement — the other team’s got to guard that,” Bridges said. “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 only bad possession is one that deviates from the blueprint.
“I thought we had some good looks that we just missed,” he said. “Especially right now, I don’t care if we win or lose as long as we keep trying to play the right way and trust it. We have not a good shooting team — [but] a great shooting team.
“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.”
Right now, the Knicks’ coach doesn’t care about the record. Brown cares about whether his team can trust the system if the shots 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 said. “We did take some tough ones, and in those instances, we’ll learn and we’ll grow.
“But we have to be a little bit more consistent with it throughout the course of the game.”
