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After the Knicks faced mounting injuries that eventually ended their 2023-24 season, they revamped their bench depth this summer in hopes of avoiding a similar fate should they get similarly unlucky. They drafted four prospects and signed guys who played consistent bench minutes last season in hopes of withstanding whatever injury bug may hit them in pursuit of the franchise’s first championship in more than 50 years.
They proved last season that they could fight their way through the regular season without two of their three best players, marching to the second seed largely without Julius Randle and OG Anunoby. But by the playoffs, they ran out of options — are they prepared to avoid that scenario this time around?
Beyond their expected core nine-man rotation, the Knicks have: Jericho Sims, Ariel Hukporti, Jacob Toppin, Keita Bates-Diop, Chuma Okeke, Pacome Dadiet, Kevin McCullar Jr., Tyler Kolek and Cameron Payne. They have some options at each position, but how reliable will they be?
Toppin, McCullar Jr. and Hukporti are on two-way deals, and are likely to spend most of their playing time in Westchester. It would be interesting to see Toppin get minutes, but he doesn’t appear to be high in the pecking order — and It’s rare for someone in his position to immediately make a positive impact on a competitive team.
Dadiet and Kolek have the chance to be exceptions. Dadiet’s was New York’s lone first-round pick this draft, but at just 19 years old coming off a rocky Summer League, it’s possible he also ends up getting reps in the G League.
Kolek looked much more NBA-ready, and is competing at a weaker position for the Knicks, with only Payne competing for the fourth guard slot. Kolek looked sharp with a historic assist-to-turnover ratio at Summer League, and appears to have an easily-translatable jumper and role.
Still, it’s difficult to project NBA performance off college and Vegas reps, and there’s an argument for looking towards the veteran option. Payne played 17.9 minutes a game in 78 appearances (including 10 starts) last season, averaging 9.3 points on 38.2% three-point shooting down the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/knicks-enough-depth-ahead-2024-140000089.html
Author : SNY
Publish date : 2024-09-14 14:00:00
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