How the Knicks’ minutes approach could translate to NBA playoff success

The 2025-26 New York Knicks are distinctly different from last season’s iteration of the team. New York’s talent has not been a problem in the recent past. But the coach Tom Thibodeau’s unwillingness to play on his bench may have created a degree of burnout among beginners. Well, coach Mike Brown talked about the big game wanting to take advantage of numerous reserves.

Despite being without two key players in the opening night rotation, the Browns put their money where their mouth is in their first regular season win, 119-111, against the Cleveland Cavaliers. And if the trend of Brown playing the bench for a long time continues, it could portend a big improvement for the Knicks.

How Mike Brown managed to use his bench

Brown was able to use his bench in a way that fans have been asking Thibodeau to do. After telling the media in the preseason that he hoped to play nine or 10 guys a game, Brown ended up playing a whopping 11 men — in a game that came down to the final minute. Furthermore, 10 of those players played 10 minutes or more.

In total, the Knicks bench scored 35 points in last night’s victory. By comparison, New York’s bench ranked dead last in the NBA in bench scoring last season, averaging 21.7 points per game.

With Mitchell Robinson and Josh Hart out, the Browns turned to the final pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, Ariel Hookporty, to start at center. He also played with Myles McBride for 26 minutes, Jordan Clarkson for 13 minutes and Gershon Yabusele for 12 minutes. Second-year guard Tyler Kolek also got significant time, collecting seven points and two assists in 14 minutes. Landry Shamet also played a significant 14 minutes. Even center Trey Jemison III logged time (eight minutes).

How does Mike Brown’s strategy help raise the Knicks’ ceiling?

Brown’s strategy should yield near-immediate results by allowing starters to play fewer minutes and remain rested for important games later in the season. For example, Knicks captain Jalen Brunson played just 34 minutes, compared to 35.4 last season. Mikal Bridges played 33 minutes compared to the 37 he averaged in 2024-25. And Towns (a game-time decision due to a quad strain) played 31 minutes — or three less than he averaged last year. Only OG Anunoby played more (38 minutes vs. 36.6 in 2024-25).

Ironically, it was Anunoby who spoke about the role of the bench at the opening.

“We have a deep team,” Anunoby said after the game. “Everybody that’s come in is capable of making an impact. It showed (tonight).”

This could have a significant impact. Heading into the 2025 playoffs, Robinson, Hart and Towns were all dealing with various ailments, likely hurting their ability to execute. And the 2024 playoffs were even murkier, as Anunoby, Branson and Robinson was injured against the Indiana Pacers. But this season, the Knicks could be fresher in the playoffs — and that would be bad for the rest of the Eastern Conference.

The Knicks are hoping this season could be the one where they finally end their 52-year championship drought. And Coach Brown is ready to help them accomplish just that by putting his stamp on the team. For what it’s worth, recent NBA champions have leaned into their depth. And Brown seems to have a firm grasp on the importance of that.

Admittedly, the NBA season is long. And a lot can happen that is out of the team’s control (eg injuries). But the Knicks finally seem to understand the importance of leaning on their bench. And that could pay big dividends in the 2026 NBA playoffs.