The New York Knicks are reportedly advancing to the next stage of their head coaching search. The team is planning to interview former NBA head coaches Taylor Jenkins and Mike Brown next week, per James L. Edwards III of The Athletic. A corroborating report was published later by ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Both coaches, like Tom Thibodeau when the Knicks hired him, bring a winning career record to the table. The Memphis Grizzlies teams that Jenkins led for six seasons went 250-214. Brown is an 11-year head coaching veteran, having spent time in charge of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Sacramento Kings. Brown’s record is 454-304.
Aside from his time as head coach in Memphis, Jenkins brings several years of experience as an assistant to the table as well. From 2013 to 2018, Jenkins worked on Phoenix Suns head coach Mike Budenholzer’s staff on the Atlanta Hawks. In 2018-19, Jenkins followed Budenholzer to the Milwaukee Bucks. Jenkins’ next stop was the lead job with the Grizzlies.
Despite his winning record, Jenkins’ Grizzlies advanced to the second round of the NBA playoffs on just one occasion. The year they did it, the Golden State Warriors then beat them in six games. Even so, could a highly-offensively powered Knicks roster be the first team that Jenkins helps take that next step?
The Kings’ organization had a historic season under Brown in 2022-23. The ‘Beam Team’ produced offense with all-time great success. Brown guided the team back to respectability for consecutive seasons. But similarly to Thibodeau in New York, his organization later fired him.
However, one significant way in which Brown and Thibodeau differ is in regard to their experience coaching in the NBA Finals. Brown shepherded the LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers team that advanced to the 2007 NBA Finals. The San Antonio Spurs then swept them as Tony Parker earned his Finals MVP.
Jenkins and Brown will likely not be the only two coaches the Knicks interview for this vacancy. They are the first two to reportedly have interviews scheduled with the team. New York’s front office will continue to touch base with all of the candidates in the ‘wide net’ they’ve been casting.
Whether or not Jason Kidd and the Mavericks come to terms on a contract extension in the coming weeks could determine his viability as a candidate. Collecting information on candidates such as Jenkins and Brown is a worthwhile course of action while the organization waits for that situation to be resolved – or not.
The Knicks plan to meet with former Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins and former Kings coach Mike Brown for their head coaching job, per @ShamsCharania. pic.twitter.com/YlandvgA7F
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 14, 2025
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