Mike Brown has Tom Thibodeau rolling in his grave with key lineup adjustment

When the New York Knicks chose Mike Brown over Tom Thibodeau to become head coach for the 2025–2026 season, fans were left with plenty of questions. Would the offense become more spaced out? Could the bench improve from last season? And just how different would Brown’s approach be from Thibodeau’s?

It turns out Brown wasn’t interested in wasting any time answering those questions. In New York’s first half of their season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers, he played 11 different players, leading to a 65–50 advantage at halftime. With Josh Hart and Mitchell Robinson already sidelined for what could be a sizable stretch of opening games, production was going to have to come from the supporting cast — and oh boy, did they deliver.

After Karl-Anthony Towns picked up his second foul early in the second quarter, newly acquired free agent Guerschon Yabusele checked in, followed by Miles McBride and two-way player Trey Jemison III, who earned his roster spot with a strong preseason showing. Not long after, a returning Landry Shamet entered the game — a player with everything to prove after beating out Malcolm Brogdon and Matt Ryan for a roster spot during preseason hoops.

New York’s offensive strategy already looks drastically different under Mike Brown compared to Thibodeau’s system. His approach emphasizes involving as many players as possible in the rotation, creating a constant offensive rhythm. The formula is simple — more players mean even distribution of minutes and fresher legs. At halftime, the Knicks led the Cavaliers in points, rebounds, and assists.

The question now is: can this innovation last through the second half — or better yet, the rest of the regular season?