When you take a big swing for the fence, there’s always the possibility that you’ll strike out spectacularly.
In the case of the Knicks, New York aimed to upgrade its center position. Isaiah Hartenstein was not re-signed, and Mitchell Robinson continues to be perpetually injured. Upon acquiring Mikal Bridges in a blockbuster trade, New York deemed it necessary to lighten the frontcourt logjam by dealing Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Karl-Anthony Towns.
Clearly, the Knicks have a very talented core. Between Towns, Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Jalen Brunson, you’d be hard-pressed to find another team (perhaps outside of Boston) with that talent level in a four-man group.
With all that said, these two deals and the decision not to re-sign Hartenstein have taken away the essence of what made New York so fun last year. We’re, of course, talking roster depth.
We’ve mentioned the decision to not bring Hartenstein back. He was a key cog in the Knicks’ machine last year — hustling for loose balls, crashing the glass on both ends and also protecting the rim. Shake Milton and Bojan Bogdanovic left in the Bridges trade. Alec Burks departed in free agency. Losing DiVincenzo to Minnesota was certainly the biggest blow. Aside from being an excellent competitor, his ability to space the floor as an elite three-point shooter was massive for New York.
Without those role players, Josh Hart is now thrust into the starting lineup. He is capable in that spot. However, you’d prefer him coming off the bench as an energizer bunny. As it stands, the Knicks may have the worst bench in the NBA. Outside of crafty guard Miles McBride, head coach Tom Thibodeau is relying on Jericho Sims, Cam Payne, Pacome Dadiet, Tyler Kolek, and Jacob Toppin.
Yikes.
Along with this comes the reality of the situation. This is morphing back into old Thibodeau teams — where he ran his starters into the ground playing heavy minutes. The Knicks are sitting at 4-5 as of Nov. 11. Despite being only nine games into the year, all five starters are averaging at least 33 minutes a game. Anunoby is playing 36 minutes a game. Bridges and Hart are at 38 and 37 minutes, respectively.
This is a major problem. With the physicality and annual grind of NBA basketball, injuries will inevitably happen. If you do believe in this core, the Knicks should accept the fact that they might not get a top-four seed in the postseason. Making the playoffs with a healthy standing should be the goal above anything. As such, Thibodeau would be wise to cut back on playing his starters such heavy minutes this early into the season. Give the youngsters a real chance to develop and gain experience. You never know when they’ll be asked to play significant roles down the line.
