The New York Knicks recently ended their head coaching search by hiring Mike Brown weeks after they let go of Tom Thibodeau. The Knicks are coming off of their most successful season in a quarter century and are now looking for ways to take advantage of what would seem to be a wide open Eastern Conference landscape.
Recently, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post reported on some major changes that Brown plans to make on his coaching staff, including regarding Rick Brunson, a former Knicks player and the father of their current star point guard Jalen Brunson.
“Mike Brown is expected to hire a new associate head coach, The Post has learned, a move that will change the dynamics in the front of the Knicks bench by giving Rick Brunson a lesser role,” reported Bondy.
Rick Brunson indeed played a large role on the Knicks' sidelines under head coach Tom Thibodeau. Many fans were surprised when New York opted to move on from Thibodeau following their run to the Eastern Conference Finals this year; however, bizarre lineup decisions and a tendency to overplay his starters during the regular season may have been the writing on the wall.
A big season for the Knicks
Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown calls for a foul during the fourth quarter of the game against the Los Angeles Lakers at Golden 1 Center.
Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images
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The Knicks now enter a 2025-26 season with the highest expectations they've had coming into a campaign in almost three decades.
Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum and Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton are both expected to miss the entirety of next season due to ruptured Achilles injuries, meaning that a vacancy currently exists at the top of the Eastern Conference hierarchy.
The Knicks didn't pursue Kevin Durant this offseason, and the Giannis Antetokounmpo sweepstakes appear to have been put on hold, meaning New York will likely be running it back with the same core of players, albeit with some solid free agency acquisitions including Jordan Clarkson.
Whether that's enough to break through and finally reach the NBA Finals for the first time in the modern era remains to be seen; however, the Knicks are certainly pushing their chips to the center of the table.
a]:text-link [&_>a]:underline">Jackson Stone is a sports journalist for ClutchPoints with expertise in covering the NBA, NFL, and CAA Football. The Mercer University senior from Atlanta is on track to graduate with a BA in communications, and he has bylines at FanSided and USA Today Sports' Georgia athletics website.