Knicks plan Curry-style off-ball shift for Brunson as Brown opens first camp

New York — The Knicks are pursuing a motion-heavy shift that would place Jalen Brunson in more off-ball actions as training camp opens under first-year head coach Mike Brown. The plan, described in discussions familiar with the team’s approach, borrows from a Stephen Curry-style model that emphasizes movement, spacing and rapid ball reversal rather than relying primarily on Brunson to create every offense from the dribble. If implemented, the change could redefine Brunson’s usage in a roster that has already undergone changes since Julius Randle was dealt earlier this summer.

Brunson has thrived in New York when the ball is in his hands. Over his first three seasons with the Knicks, he exhibited elite decision-making in the half court, and last season he led the NBA in time of possession and dribbles per touch. Those metrics reflected a player who was asked to run the offense through isolated actions and patient, read-and-react playmaking. The new plan, according to people familiar with the team’s talks and reported by the New York Post, would push Brunson toward more off-ball movement: more screening actions, more cutter opportunities, and more catch-and-shoot looks that allow him to read defenses rather than initiate every sequence.

The adjustment would hinge on two core concepts: spacing and rapid action. Spacing means more gravity on the floor, with floor-spacing threats around Brunson so defenders cannot sag into drive lanes or overplay straight isolations. Rapid action implies multiple quick-hitting actions in a possession — screens, flare screens, pindowns, and reversal passes that push Brunson to catch the ball in rhythm or to attack a closeout with momentum rather than from a standstill drive. In practice, the Knicks would look to balance Brunson’s instincts with the ball off the floor by pairing him with shooters who can capitalize on quick passes to the perimeter or off-ball cuts that gravity creates. The system would also rely on Brunson’s ability to relocate and shoot when a defense collapses on him away from the ball, turning his misdirection into scoring opportunities for himself or teammates.

Adopting a more off-ball approach would represent a notable shift in philosophy for a team that has often leaned on a ball-dominant guard to generate offense. New fronts office personnel and coaching staff have discussed a broad offensive framework that emphasizes pace and spacing, while preserving Brunson’s high basketball IQ and his ability to exploit a defense’s miscommunications. The challenge will be replicating consistent execution in game situations and ensuring that the rest of the rotation can read the same cues Brunson reads when the ball is in his hands. In the early stages of camp, coaches will test different lineups to determine how Brunson meshes with shooters who can stay aggressive without the ball and how teammates without the ball can maximize Brunson’s reads on the fly.

The changes come as Brown begins his first Knicks training camp, with a plan to gauge how quickly the team can implement a more dynamic, off-ball system. The league has seen teams increasingly rely on multi-weapon offenses that distribute playmaking more evenly across the lineup, and New York is aiming to keep pace with those trends while giving Brunson the freedom to stretch his impact beyond pure ball handling. If the system takes hold, Brunson could benefit from easier scoring opportunities and cleaner reads in the high screen sets and misdirection actions that are central to the Curry-style concept, while still retaining his ability to attack off the ball when defenses compress near the rim.

For now, the Knicks are methodically testing the concept during camp, with staff members watching closely how quickly players adapt to new triggers and how scalable the approach proves across different defensive schemes. The process is about more than one season; it is about building a more versatile, resilient offense that can adapt to a variety of opponents and game situations. Whether Brunson can seamlessly transition into a more off-ball role remains to be seen, but the early trajectory suggests a deliberate prioritization of spacing, pace and shared playmaking as the foundation of the club’s plans for the year ahead.