The New York Knicks are in a bit of a slump. They’ve lost four of their last six games. And, more importantly, they lost Jalen Brunson to an ankle injury, which could cost him the rest of March, if not longer.
However, a deeper look reveals that the Knicks’ depth should have been their primary concern all along. And despite returning Mitchell Robinson and becoming whole for a split second, the team’s depth concerns were never really alleviated.
Knicks depth struggles morph—but remain
New York entered the season with a limited bench. This was partially due to trades that resulted in adding Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, while sending out Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, and Bojan Bogdanovic (as well as a plethora of picks). While Bogdanovic hasn’t played this season due to injuries sustained in last year’s playoffs, that doesn’t change the fact that New York consolidated its talent.
Additionally, Precious Achiuwa began the season rehabbing an injury, Isaiah Hartenstein was lost to a more lucrative offer, and Robinson just returned from an ankle injury, as well.
The result wasn’t pretty. The Knicks were left with limited rotation-worthy players beyond their starters.
But as expected, the Knicks recovered. Achiuwa returned, as did Robinson. Specifically, New York’s defensive rating jumped tremendously following Robinson’s return. However, the Knicks’ depth leaves more to be desired.
Some of this can be explained by the void that Brunson’s absence creates. Brunson is easily the team’s best player. And the Knicks are simply not the same without their primary weapon. Miles McBride has played valiantly in his Brunson’s place, but McBride and Brunson are on two entirely different levels.
Ultimately, though, the struggle that the Knicks must overcome can’t be solved by Brunson’s return. It is a lack of truly impactful role players, and coach Tom Thibodeau is partially to blame.
Developing existing rookies could help solve Knicks’ depth woes
Let’s be clear, New York’s depth problem could be solved by better reserves. But it could also be improved upon by a deeper bench predicated on reliable youth. Problem is, that requires Thibodeau to trust his younger players and give them more opportunities.
Frankly, New York has done a poor job of developing its youngsters. 2024 first-round draft pick, Pacome Dadiet showed some flashes in his limited (95) minutes this season. Ironically, the Knicks could use a more polished wing, and Dadiet could have been on his way to becoming that if given more of an opportunity.
Tyler Kolek is another rookie who should have received more than the 152 minutes he’s played thus far. He clearly has promise but hasn’t yet received an actual opportunity. And with Cam Payne entering unrestricted free agency after this season, the Knicks would have been wise to understand if Kolek can step into that role.
Ariel Huckporti was just beginning to develop a role of his own, albeit one out of necessity. He’s played well. However, ignoring his final three appearances before the knee injury—all of which came immediately before Robinson’s return—Hukporti appeared in 10 or more minutes on only five occasions.
One or all of those young guys could have been part of the solution this year or next. Further, if given more time, New York could have known more about what they had in each, facilitating informed decisions this offseason. Instead, the Knicks front office will have limited game tape on which they can base their 2025-26 roster decisions.
And that ignores TJ Warren, who remains on the Westchester Knicks. Despite boasting a strong NBA background and averaging 25.1 points and 6.7 rebounds per game this season in the G-League, there has been no talk of a promotion.
Knicks need more from reserves if they hope to compete for title
Sadly, the Knicks are going to have to do more with less if they hope to make a run this season. Last season’s conference champions got 35.8 and 29.3 points per game, respectively, from their benches. New York’s 2023-24 bench ranked 27th, but still managed 28.4 points per game. This season’s version is worse.
The Knicks are dead last in bench scoring, squeezing only 21.2 points per game out of its bench. And much of that has to do with a lack of opportunity. The Knicks are also last in bench minutes per game, averaging only 12.3 minutes per game, according to NBA.com.
The Knicks and coach Thibodeau are in need of an intervention-style change. They have to allocate more minutes to the bench, and they need their reserves to come through for them.
Neither of those needs are a foregone conclusion, and that’s a problem. However, if Thibodeau and the Knicks hope to take the next step (now or in the future), they’ll have to strike a better balance between starters and reserves. And there’s no better time to get started than the present.
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