Knicks working on reading and reacting to defense and offensive concepts

""Everything is new," Brunson said. "So attention to detail is key for us to try to get better, faster. So all the little things we picked up and we learned, we can't just skip over that. We got to understand that all those little things can make a big difference. And so for us, that's the most important thing.""

""I think he just wants to implement playing fast because, honestly, especially the first three quarters, until mid-fourth, you don't really need plays," Mikal Bridges said. "You kind of just have concepts and you read and react and it makes it tougher for the defense, honestly, because they don't know what's happening because offensively, you don't even know what's happening because you're kind of just reading how you're going to defend it.""

Mike Brown is installing a concept-based offense that prioritizes playing fast, running the floor, touching the paint, and kicking out to shooters rather than relying on explicit play calls. Players are encouraged to read and react, using instincts developed from playing pickup and adapting to new situations. Jalen Brunson stresses attention to detail and adaptability as keys to improving under the new system. Mikal Bridges notes that the early and mid-game phases often function without set plays because concepts create uncertainty for defenses. Team actions sometimes echo prior paint-focused principles of drawing and kicking.

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