logo

Assumptions

This report is being presented to Mike Brown right after his hiring on July 7th. The draft has past and we are moving forward with the team we have, including Jordan Clarkson, Geurschon Yabusele, and other free agent signings as well as draft picks. Basically a pretraining camp report for coaching plan going into the next year

Disclaimer: I am not affiliated with the New York Knicks, nor do I own the logo used in this report.

Summary

This analysis provides a pretty clear understanding of our successes as well as our failures last year. While we were one of the best offensive teams in the league thanks in large part to Jalen Brunson & KAT, we relied heavily on our offense & our starters being near perfect while our defense struggled at times especially against more elite offenses.

These factors lead to us being good enough to make a deep playoff run but not quite good enough to get over the hump without defensive improvements. The return of Mitchell Robinson (career 4.5 ORB/Game) will help provide some cushion for the offense to make mistakes along with some defensive support. Being that there were major roster changes going into last season that required adjusting, I anticipate more stability and improved ratings this season.

We also feature a revamped bench unit going into this next season with the additions of Jordan Clarkson & Guerschon Yabusele. A major focus for this next year should be squeezing as much juice out of our second unit as we can, which will help keep our guys healthy by lessening the load

With the state of our current roster and current available draft picks, we should be in a WIN NOW mentality

This means if we fall short of, or are on track to fall short of, our goals for the year at the end of this document we should strongly consider some changes to the core of the roster

Further Recommendation

I can create a dashboard utilizing this data to assist with scouting. For example:

  • Jalen Brunson is -7 points compared to his average when playing against the Timberwolves where he also shoots 11% worse

From here we can use a shot chart to look at his shot attempts in these games and determine how to adjust our offense (Too much data to include in this report, dashboard will provide flexibility). This can also be built around any scouting efforts we choose, to make a full comprehensive report for each opponent

Team Level Analysis

Knicks Four Factors 2024-2025

Knicks Efficiency Analysis 2024-2025

Shot Chart - OFFENSE

Shot Chart - DEFENSE

Matchup Problems

We really struggle against the better teams in the league, with a below .500 record against these teams

Offensive Recap

  • Points Per Game — 115.8 (5th)
  • Field Goal % — 48.6 (5th)
  • Three Point % — 36.9 (8th)
  • Points in the Paint — 48.9 (6th)
  • Turnovers — 13.3 (5th)

We were bottom six in rebounding (42.6) but missed Mitchell Robinson for most of the year.

We ranked 26th in pace at 96.7 possessions per game.

Summary: Top-tier offense operating at a slower tempo.

Defensive Recap

  • Opponent FG % — 47.5 (24th)
  • Opponent 3PT % — 36.9 (25th)
  • Opponent Mid-Range FG % — 38.5 (3rd)
  • Opponent Paint FG % — 45.2 (20th)
  • Opponent Corner 3PT % — 40.6 (26th)

We defended the mid-range extremely well, but struggled in the paint and along the three-point line. Corner threes were our biggest weakness and should be a primary point of emphasis moving forward.

Players That Cause Us the Most Trouble

Points per 36 Minutes

  • Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — 39.27
  • Moritz Wagner — 34.67
  • Devin Booker — 33.69
  • Zach LaVine — 32.00
  • Jayson Tatum — 31.74

We should dedicate additional scouting and game-planning resources to these players to better mitigate their impact.

Roster Level Analysis

Per-36 Production: Starters vs Bench

Knicks Roster Advanced Stats 2024-2025

This scrollable and sortable table highlights how each player on the current roster performed per 36 minutes last season, broken down by starter vs. bench role.

Primary Area of Concern: Bench Production

Starters

Our starters were among the most productive units in the league:

  • League-leading average minutes: 36 MPG
  • Top-5 efficiency
    • FG%: 50%
    • EFG%: 56%
    • TS%: 60%

This production reflects a highly efficient, high-usage starting group capable of sustaining offensive output over heavy minutes.

Bench Unit

The bench struggled across both volume and efficiency metrics:

  • Bottom-2 in average minutes: 12 MPG
  • Bottom-2 in average scoring: 12.3 points per 36
  • Efficiency concerns
    • FG%: 43% (bottom-5)
    • FTA per 36: 1.53 (bottom-5)
    • EFG%: 52% (bottom-7)
    • TS%: 54% (bottom-7)

Despite these struggles, the bench shot 35.8% from three, ranking 11th among benches, indicating perimeter shooting was not the primary issue.

Defensive Holes in the Bench

Opponent efficiency against our bench units was also problematic:

  • Opponent 3PT%: 37% (bottom-10)
  • Opponent EFG%: 55% (bottom-10)

These deficiencies were particularly evident during the Indiana playoff series, where our bench was consistently outplayed.

Outlook

Injecting energy and depth off the bench through Miles McBride, Tyler Kolek, and Guerschon Yabusele, alongside veteran experience from Jordan Clarkson, should help stabilize non-starter minutes and reduce the drop-off in production.

2026 Milestones, KPIs, and Check-In Points

  • Team Stat Rankings / Marks
    • Offensive Rating: Top 5
    • Defensive Rating: Top 10
    • Rebounding: Top 5 OREB, Top 10 DREB
    • Turnover Rate: Maintain Top 5
    • OPP 3PT %: Below 36%
    • OPP Turnovers: 15+ per game
  • Specific Player Stats & Metrics
    • Jalen Brunson Top 5 Scorer (28-30 PPG) (2nd Team ALL NBA)
    • KAT Top 5 Rebounder (11-13 RPG) (2nd Team ALL NBA)
    • Mitchel Robinson Top 3 OREB (4.5+)
    • Bench Production: 25+ PPG, 45%+ FG%, 38%+ 3PT, 56%+ TS%
    • Key Bench Player: Miles McBride Improve PPG & 3P% (Top 5 in 6MOY voting)
  • Definition of a “Good Season”
    • Achieve 50+ wins and secure a top 2 seed in the conference
    • Top 10 Defensive Rating
    • Top 5 Net Rating
    • Improve team shooting efficiency by 2-3% across FG%, eFG%, and TS%
    • Make the NBA Finals

Note: This report does not include players like the rookie Mohamed Diawara, who are not expected to play significant or impactful minutes this season .

Sources: