Knicks head coach Mike Brown talking with Jalen Brunson against Philadelphia on October 5
Oct 12, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown slaps hands with point guard Miles McBride (2) during the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Knicks went 8-for-32 from three Monday. That’s the easy explanation for an ugly preseason loss, but it doesn’t account for what happened at the other end.
Minnesota made 18 threes, grabbed 13 offensive rebounds and beat New York 122-104. I can live with a preseason shooting slump. I’d be much less comfortable treating the defense and defensive rebounding as things that will fix themselves once the shots start falling.
Knicks head coach Mike Brown greeting Miles McBride against Minnesota on October 12
Oct 12, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown slaps hands with point guard Miles McBride (2) during the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Knicks need stops that actually finish possessions
The Timberwolves won the rebounding battle 39-28. Their 13 offensive boards were especially frustrating because nobody on the roster finished with more than five total rebounds. New York didn’t get overwhelmed by one big man putting up an absurd individual total; Minnesota found extra possessions across the lineup.
That should be a useful practice priority for Mike Brown. After an initial contest, the Knicks need somebody finding a body and somebody collecting the ball. Simply adding another shot-blocker doesn’t settle that responsibility for the other four players.
Andre Drummond had three blocks and four rebounds in roughly 12 minutes. Those are useful contributions from a backup center, but they couldn’t solve a team-wide rebounding deficit by themselves. Brown needs to see his regular groups complete defensive possessions together, rather than hope one substitution handles it.
The three-point gap isn’t all a scheme verdict
Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels combined to make nine threes on 13 attempts, more makes than the Knicks had as a team. Minnesota finished 18-for-34 from deep, or 52.9%.
Some of that is excellent shooting, and it’s unreasonable to expect opponents to keep hitting at that rate. The box score also can’t separate open shots from difficult makes or identify who missed a coverage. I’m not going to invent a possession-by-possession defensive diagnosis from those totals.
The response should be to review the chances New York allowed, not dismiss the entire result as hot shooting. Were the closeouts on time? Did the help get back to shooters? Did a good initial stop end in a rebound? Those are film-review questions Brown can answer with his players before the season starts.
Ball security belongs on that list too. The Knicks committed 19 turnovers. Jalen Brunson scored 20 points in about 22 minutes, but getting the captain’s offense back doesn’t remove the need for cleaner team possessions.
There are sensible reasons not to overreact to 0-3. The starters played roughly 22 minutes apiece Monday, Brown used a long bench, and these aren’t the rotations he’ll rely on in a close regular-season game. Winning preseason games isn’t the goal.
I’d judge the remaining work against Toronto by possession quality before the final score. Fewer careless giveaways and better defensive rebounding would tell me more than a few extra threes turning a loss into a win. Brown doesn’t need to chase an exhibition victory; he needs the Knicks’ most dependable groups to make fewer avoidable mistakes before the games count.