The New York Knicks opened up the Mike Brown era with a 99-84 preseason win over the Philadelphia 76ers in Abu Dhabi, and the exhibition triumph displayed plenty of promising signs to get Knicks fans excited.
Here are five stats to love from Brown’s debut as New York’s leader. Of course, you should go ahead and slap the “WARNING: One Preseason Game“ label on these takeaways. But Knicks basketball is back, and for that reason, you can bet we’re going to sit here and dive headfirst into the analytics of one preseason game!
70% loose ball recovery rate
According to NBA.com tracking, New York finished with seven loose balls recovered to Philadelphia’s three. That gives the Knicks a loose ball recovery rate of 70%, exemplifying the pure hustle and energy that Brown’s team exuded in its preseason debut.
Encouragingly, the Knicks’ starters were largely responsible for that effort. Six of the Knicks’ seven recoveries were made by the starting lineup. Mikal Bridges (2), Jalen Brunson, Mitchell Robinson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Pacôme Dadiet each had at least one loose ball recovery.
The Knicks will not recover anywhere close to 70% of loose balls for an entire season. Still, it’s nice to see the team showing some heart in its first game under a new head coach.
New York was known for its grit under Tom Thibodeau. If the team can maintain the same type of hustle under Brown, they should be a better overall team, as Brown figures to be an upgrade over Thibodeau in the offensive strategy department. The only question with Thibodeau’s absence is whether New York will have the same intensity, and so far, there is no reason to think that will be a concern.
Jordan Clarkson’s 24.4% usage rate
The Knicks lacked an offensive engine off the bench last season. They should have one now in Jordan Clarkson, who has over 1,500 more points off the bench than any other NBA player since the 2016-17 season.
In his Knicks preseason debut, Clarkson recorded a 24.4% usage rate off the bench, exemplifying his ability to hop off the pine and take on a heavy offensive workload. In just over 15 minutes, Clarkson got nine shots up, hitting four of them for nine points. He went 4-for-6 from inside the arc, 0-for-3 from deep, and made his only attempt from the stripe.
It is important for New York that Clarkson is efficient as a shooter – his high-volume shooting won’t help the team if he is chucking up low-percentage shots. Clarkson had a true shooting percentage of 47.7% in this game, which isn’t good enough to justify a hefty chunk of shots.
He won’t shoot that poorly all year, but the Knicks would love to see him improve upon his 54% from last season (the NBA average for SGs was 57.3%). His career-high is 57.4%, which he hit in 2019-20 with the Cavaliers and Jazz.
Still, Clarkson’s ability to create his own shot will give the Knicks a bail-out weapon they can trust late in the shot clock whenever they have at least three of their top four weapons on the bench.
Mitchell Robinson’s 31.4% rebound percentage
Finally entering a season healthy, Mitchell Robinson is expected to have a big year after his phenomenal run in the 2025 playoffs.
Robinson looked fresh and dominant in Abu Dhabi. He grabbed an unfathomable 31.4% of available rebounds while he was on the floor, scooping up 16 boards (11 defensive, 5 offensive) in just 18 minutes.
Suffice to say, New York would be thrilled if Robinson continues to clean the glass at a rate anywhere close to that.
Miles McBride’s 12-5-2-3 line
With Clarkson expected to be New York’s primary scorer off the bench, Miles McBride is pegged as the Knicks’ do-it-all weapon on both ends of the court.
Tipping off his age-25 season, McBride looked like a complete product on Thursday. In 21 minutes of action, McBride scored 12 points on 5-for-7 shooting (2-for-4 from deep) while adding five rebounds, two assists, and three steals. The Knicks were a +11 in his minutes.
With his length, athleticism, and tenacity, coupled with an offensive skill set that continues to improve each year, McBride can be one of the most well-rounded backup guards in the NBA this season.
Jalen Brunson’s 36.4% assist rate
With the immense amount of attention he has commanded from defenses over the last two years, it has felt like Jalen Brunson has left some meat on the bone as a passer. New York hopes that Brunson can unlock a new level in his game as a playmaker in Mike Brown’s system.
Brunson reached a career-high 7.3 assists per game last season after New York added Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, but it was only an increase of 0.6 off the previous season. With Brown calling the shots and a deep arsenal of weapons around him, Brunson should shoot for 8.0+ assists per game this year.
Abu Dhabi was a good start. Brunson dished out four dimes in just 17 minutes, which puts him on pace for 8.3 assists over the 35.4 minutes per game he played last season. He also had an assist percentage of 36.4%, which surpasses his career high of 33.5% from the 2023-24 season.
