The New York Knicks appear to have shielded themselves from last season’s nightmare.
In last season’s playoffs, the Knicks were virtually out of players to field. In Game 7 of their second-round series against the Indiana Pacers, Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, Bojan Bogdanovic, Mitchell Robinson and Jalen Brunson were all injured and out of the game. Josh Hart was playing through an abdominal injury.
In the fourth quarter of Game 7, the Knicks had Miles McBride, Donte DiVincenzo, an injured Hart, Alec Burks, Precious Achiuwa and Isaiah Hartenstein. None of these players started the year as starters.
At full strength last year, the Knicks would have been one of the deepest teams in the league, but injuries have sapped them of their depth.
Additionally, it appears that Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau doesn’t trust his end-of-the-bench players, Mamadi Diakite, Jacob Toppin and DaQuan Jeffries.
In a June episode of the “Knicks Film School” Podcast, SNY’s Ian Begley Knicks coaches disagreed on whether they could rely on their end-of-bench players. Begley didn’t elaborate, but said he believes the team will try to add more players ready to play this offseason.
That’s exactly what the Knicks did. On Saturday, the team used its last guaranteed roster spot to sign veteran shooting guard Landry Shamet. Shamet is unlikely to be in the regular rotation, and he doesn’t necessarily fill a pressing need — the Knicks already have a plethora of guards and shooting guards.
But if we break down the Knicks’ roster based on likely rotation players, it looks like the Knicks now have 11th, 12th and even 13th men they can trust to make plays when needed.
Here’s the likely rotation, from now on:
Entries: Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson
Bench: Miles McBride, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, Precious Achiuwa
That’s nine players, but behind those nine are several other players that Thibodeau could likely play if he had to.
- Cameron Payne
- Landry Shamet
- Keïta Bates-Diop
- Jericho Sims
Payne, Shamet and Bates-Diop are all veterans who have played big minutes on good teams. Between Payne’s handling, Shamet’s shooting and Bates-Diop’s defensive versatility, all three have a strong case to be in the rotation. Sims will likely be behind Achiuwa in the rotation, but Thibodeau has played Sims for big minutes before, even starting him when there were injuries.
That list doesn’t include rookie point guard Tyler Kolek, who impressed in Summer League and appears to be one of the most NBA-ready starters in this year’s class.
There is a risk of seeing too many players play for the Knicks. Some rotation-worthy players will not be on the court much this year. Thibodeau will have to make some tough rotation choices if the Knicks stay healthy.
Given the Knicks’ current needs at center, it’s worth wondering if management will consider a consolidation trade, meaning sending multiple players for a better player.
Of course, if the Knicks don’t make a move, they’ll have one of the deepest teams in the NBA. If a nightmare scenario occurs and half the rotation gets injured, as was the case in last year’s playoffs, Thibodeau has a plethora of options to put on the court to remain competitive.
