Knicks’ Mike Brown mildly alarmed by issue he noticed in preseason loss to 76ers

The New York Knicks were blown out by the Philadelphia 76ers, 120-97, in the preseason at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Monday. The Knicks had their usual starting unit, while the 76ers were without Joel Embiid, LeBron James, and Tyrese Maxey.

Jalen Brunson had 12 points, four rebounds, and three assists in 15 minutes, while OG Anunoby tallied 12 points and six rebounds in 14 minutes.

It was the wrong way to start the preseason for the defending champions, but coach Mike Brown is not too concerned, although he pointed out a noticeable issue.

“Most of it, I was okay with. I just listed things that I saw that I know we can be better at. What bothers me is our lack of physicality throughout the ballgame, and that’s the whole roster, up and down. We weren’t great on the ball physically, and we weren’t great with our defensive positioning physically,” said Brown.

“That I’m concerned about, and I don’t wanna see it happen (again). The rest of the stuff, it’s coach-talk. It’s real, but it’s coach-talk that we’ll clean up watching film and all that stuff. I can’t help with the physicality. That they got to find it individually, which will then turn into collectively. That’s how you find minutes. That’s how you make the team. That’s how you contribute.

Mike Brown said he was bothered with the Knicks’ lack of physicality in their preseason opener loss to the 76ers pic.twitter.com/ooACUyyDdK

— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) October 6, 2026

The Knicks will have a big target on their backs, as the rest of the league is eager to dethrone them. For Brown, showing physicality will send a stern message to the other teams.

Meanwhile, it is worth noting that Karl-Anthony Towns suited up against the 76ers despite his much-publicized contract standoff with the Knicks. Towns had five points, five rebounds, and two assists in 15 minutes.

New York will face the Washington Wizards on Thursday.

This article first appeared on NBA on ClutchPoints and was syndicated with permission.

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