Mike Brown Praised for Shortening Knicks Rotation vs. Kings

Mike Brown has seen enough from his New York Knicks to know who can't play up to his standards and who's capable of dragging the squad out of the mud.

He's had enough data to pore through over half of the way through his first season as the team's head coach, and with the Knicks having just come up for air from their ugly stretch to open 2026, he has no interest in dipping any deeper into the Eastern Conference standings than he already has. He knows who he trusts, and treated his long-awaited revenge win over the Sacramento Kings with as much transparency as he's demonstrated all season.

The tried-and-true five-man combination that is the Knicks' nightly starting-five got their usual burn, but Brown was sure to turn to key defenders in Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson when forming his crunch-time lineup, as well as his veteran in Landry Shamet for some additional two-way play during the meat of the game.

Sacramento Kings Center Domantas Sabonis and New York Knicks Guard Landry Shamet — Jan 27, 2026; New York, New York, USA; Sacramento Kings forward Domantas Sabonis (11) controls the ball against New York Knicks guard Landry Shamet (44) during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The coach's willingness to turn to his known quantities ahead of spark plug creators like Jordan Clarkson and Tyler Kolek reveal just how desperate Brown is to return to consistently winning. Guerschon Yabusele popped in for two scoreless minutes early-on, but outsiders are taking notice of how unusually-stingy he's been with his allocation of minutes.

"Look at these last three games, holding teams to 87 points per game. What is this, the 90s? 80s?" remarked Wally Szczerbiak, a former player-turned-MSG Network analyst.

MSG's @wallyball: "Mitch is so healthy…such an impact player…so smart…fits perfectly…The defense…Mike Brown had had it…'I'm playing the 8 guys that know how to play NBA defense'…as a result this is what you get" pic.twitter.com/ur3sJ40yj0
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) January 28, 2026

"Turning back the clock, playing some defense here at MSG, Mike Brown had had it," he continued. "[Lost] nine out of 11, Knicks playing terrible defense, playing all these different guys and lineups, injuries here and there, he said 'I've had enough. I'm playing the eight guys that know how to play NBA defense. That know how to guard pick and rolls, know how to rotate,' and as a result, this is what you get."

Finally Fulfilling Expectations

The "dominant defensive effort" featured the Kings making just five of the 30 3-pointers they catapulted, the rare outing in which New York locked down the opposing perimeter in turning off their opponents' water. Sacramento hung around thanks to the Knicks' 18 turnovers, but once they inserted that lineup featuring defenders surrounding Jalen Brunson, they managed to close to book on Brown's old team with no problem.

Robinson shined in racking up 13 rebounds, several of which he was enabled to collect when Karl-Anthony Towns hit the bench over the final quarter of action. That substitution was no accident, as Brown's been on Towns' case in attempting to ignite the starter's attention to detail all season long.

Trade discussions are likely to ignite the front office's desire for Brown to deploy specific players as a way to boost their individual valuation, but the coach is dead-set on asserting these defense-first expectations out of his roster. The rotation is as short as ever to assess that usually-leaky part of their game, so expect players to be rewarded for hustling as much as they ever have been before.

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