The Knicks play a basketball game today.
The Bucks could, but they might not, because they’re likely so bad that they would play something close to what we know as basketball, but not entirely the same thing.
Here’s a bunch of quotes from Monday’s practice.
Mike Brown
On how experimenting with different lineups helps the Knicks:
“It builds trust, because it’s like, ‘Hey, they trust me to go out there and play right now, even though
I might not have played in two or three games.’ It helps with connectivity because guys feel more part of it, because they’re getting an opportunity. It helps with everybody’s readiness because the reality of it is, if a guy is sitting on the bench and he’s been there game after game after game, which happens sometimes — I’m not saying that will never happen because it’s gonna happen sometimes — then he may lose a little interest and relax a little bit because it’s like, ‘Hey, I’m not going in.’ But then, if you call their number every once in a while, throw them in a game, now they know, ‘Oh, I gotta be ready.’ ”
On preparing the Knicks for unexpected lineup changes during the playoffs:
“It builds a lot, when you’re talking about building a team. And then at the end of the day, your guys get used to it, so come playoff time, if you try something new or different when it comes to the lineups, it’s not like, ‘Oh my God, what’s going on? We’ve never done this.’ Nah, we’ve done it.”
On what the Knicks learned from their uneven start to the season:
“The group is resilient. [We learned] that it’s gonna be hard. This is a new year, new season and new challenges, so we have to embrace all the little details while trying not to have much slippage in our process because nobody is handing anything to us. And if we want to have success, which we’re more than capable of, that’s what some of these wins show you, that we have to go earn it.”
On Karl-Anthony Towns’ defensive intelligence, coachability and improvement:
“KAT’s got a tremendous feel. He’s a smart dude when it comes to a lot of things, but especially when it comes to the game of basketball. His feel is at a high level, and so you couple that with the job that [O’Connor] and Erman are doing, it’s easy to see where he is because everything we’ve asked him to do, he’s tried to do.
“So if you’re extremely coachable, you got a great feel and you got two guys in Brendan O’Connor and Darren Erman that are teaching you the game defensively at a really high level, you’ll see the results we’re seeing now.”
Jalen Brunson
On the importance of continuing to improve rather than simply winning games:
“Obviously, we want to play well, we want to win, but we also want to continue to grow as a team and try not to plateau. I think the way we do that is to continue to try to see how we can win games differently.”
On what the Knicks have learned about themselves through the first three weeks of play:
“That we’re still resilient. That we’re still open to getting better every single day. And through the highs and lows of the season, how quickly can we bounce back?”
On Karl-Anthony Towns’s response to Mike Brown’s challenges:
“It’s [Towns]. It’s his willingness to do what’s best for the team to continue to get better. I think we’ve all been challenged by Mike in some way, shape or form. And he’s stepped up to the plate with that. And he’s been great.”
Landry Shamet
On Mike Brown’s unpredictable rotations and how that helps players:
“It’s kind of a freeing thing, playing that way, knowing that you don’t have to really be looking over your shoulder or thinking that one thing is gonna ruin whatever. And I think that he knows that we have that makeup as a group, too, that we’re all on the same page in wanting the best for each other — the next man up kind of mentality. It’s from top to bottom, and it’s a good environment to have.”
On the Knicks prioritizing team success over individual agendas:
“That’s just kind of the makeup of our group, and that’s special. Typically, you go to a lot of NBA locker rooms, there’s some ulterior motives and personal agendas — which is part of why we’re all here, is some ego, of course. Everybody is a good player at this level and is striving to get to something or be somewhere. But very rarely does that take a backseat to just truly buying into one another, wanting the best because, ultimately, good things come from that for everyone. It’s special. It’s really special.”
