Mike Brown praises the unsung hero during the New York Knicks' championship run

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Mike Brown did a wonderful job of leading the New York Knicks to their first championship in over 50 years. While he had considerable experience winning championships as an assistant coach, this was the first time he won a title as a head coach.

He was valuable due to his leadership, but he also recognized that he needed new ideas beyond his own. That is why he leaned on second-year player Dillon Jones, who might be a fresh face, but he won a championship with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2025.

Mike Brown relied on Dillon Jones to make an impact off the court in the title run

Throughout his career, Brown has learned that collaborating can go a long way. He learned under the likes of Gregg Popovich and Steve Kerr, which has helped him be such a great coach with the Knicks.

With that experience, he has learned the value of championship experience. Even when some players did not play all the time in championship runs, they were still in the locker rooms, so they knew what it took to be a champion.

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Jones, who was a benchwarmer for the Thunder, got to play in 10 postseason games during their championship run. Of course, they mostly came during garbage time, but being part of the group under Mark Daigneault helped him have a stronger mentality.

"Throughout the course of this run, I got help with the messaging from other people. I spoke to Dillon often during this playoff run because he just got it done with Oklahoma City," Brown said on the Roommates Show with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart.

Jones played a valuable role under Brown because he relayed advice he got from the Thunder. At the same time, it also influenced Brown, motivating the Knicks by showing them a video of them losing to the Indiana Pacers a year earlier.

This mattered for the Knicks because they looked like a different team during this championship run. They will be remembered for a long time, and Brown thinks that Jones deserves a lot of love for the understated role he played.