Who is Peter Patton?
The Coach
Peter J. Patton (born February 9, 1974) is the shooting coach for the New York Knicks, the 2026 NBA champions. He joined Mike Brown's staff in October 2025, and in his first season in New York the Knicks won their first title since 1973.
Before New York, Patton spent two seasons (2023 to 2025) as the Chicago Bulls Director of Player Development, where Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis all improved their shooting under him. Before that he was the Dallas Mavericks shooting coach for five seasons (2018 to 2023), working closely with Luka Doncic, Jalen Brunson, Dorian Finney-Smith, Josh Green, Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber, and the shooting coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves for two seasons (2016 to 2018).
Patton himself was a three-year varsity starter in basketball, baseball, and football at Loyola Academy. After the Chicago Catholic League, Patton received a scholarship to DePaul University. While at DePaul, Patton was named captain of the 1995–96 team. Patton set the DePaul single season 3pt fg% record, a mark that still stands (54.1%). Patton remains in the top ten in DePaul Basketball history for steals and career three-pointers. Peter trained with Chip Engelland, the longtime San Antonio Spurs shooting coach. Peter went on to play professional basketball in the CBA, IBA, and two seasons in Europe.
Peter Patton
Impact in New York
The Knicks finished the 2025-26 regular season fourth in the NBA in three-point shooting at 37.3%, and several players posted career-best numbers from beyond the arc. The New York Post profiled Patton during the playoff run: Meet the Knicks’ secret weapon: The man behind their jaw-dropping 3-point eruption (Stefan Bondy, May 11, 2026).
Deuce McBride, who hit a career-best 41.3% of his threes, told the Post: "I feel like when you have somebody telling you what you need out of your shot and you trust him, it's big time. I feel like for all of the guys he's been huge."
More on Patton's season with the Knicks:
- The Shot Doctor Peter Patton (SNYK, March 24, 2026), on Josh Hart shooting better than 50% from the field and 40% from three, and OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges ranking first and second in the NBA on corner threes.
- Knicks Notes: Shamet, Towns, Patton, Brown (Hoops Rumors, May 2026).
- New York Basketball on X: Deuce McBride on what Patton spots in a shot.
- WeAreDePaul on X: Patton's shout-out on ESPN during the Knicks-Cavaliers series.
NBA Shooting Coach
Peter Patton is the New York Knicks shooting coach. He joined New York in 2025 after two seasons as the Chicago Bulls Director of Player Development, five seasons as the Dallas Mavericks shooting coach, and two seasons in the same role for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Patton has been teaching basketball for over 20 years, including learning the craft of shooting under longtime San Antonio Spurs shooting coach Chip Engelland. Patton never missed a game in college and set the DePaul single-season three-point percentage record as a junior (54.1%), a mark that still stands. He is also in the top ten in DePaul history for both steals and career three-pointers made, as well as 11th in assists.
Patton attributes his shooting prowess to Engelland, who mentored him during his career at DePaul as well as his professional career in the CBA, IBA, and Europe. Patton began working as a coach for summer camps and clinics at 19, eventually moving on to a career in player development and serving as President of PureForm Basketball, a skills academy with a specialty in player development, since 2005.