The New York Knicks have seemingly protected themselves from last season's nightmare.
During last season's playoffs, the Knicks practically ran out of bodies to put out on the floor. By 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 ruled out of action. Josh Hart was playing through an abdominal injury.
By the fourth quarter of that Game 7, the Knicks were relying on Miles McBride, Donte DiVincenzo, the injured Hart, Alec Burks, Precious Achiuwa, and Isaiah Hartenstein. None of those players began the year as starters.
At full health last year, the Knicks would have been one of the deepest teams in the league, but injuries sapped them of their depth.
Furthermore, it seemed that Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau did not trust his end-of-bench players in Mamadi Diakite, Jacob Toppin, and DaQuan Jeffries.
On a June episode of the "Knicks Film School" podcast, SNY's Ian Begley suggested that the Knicks coaches were not on the same page about whether they could rely on their end-of-bench players. Begley didn't elaborate, but said he felt that the team would try to add more ready-to-play contributors this offseason.
That is exactly what the Knicks have done. On Saturday, the team used their final guaranteed roster spot to sign veteran shooter Landry Shamet. Shamet is unlikely to be in the regular rotation, and he does not necessarily fill a pressing need — the Knicks have a plethora of guards and shooting already.
But if we break down the Knicks' roster by likely rotation players, it seems as if the Knicks now have 11th, 12th, and even 13th men that they can trust to play in a pinch.
Here's the likely rotation, as of now:
Starters: 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
- Keita Bates-Diop
- Jericho Sims
Payne, Shamet, and Bates-Diop are all veterans who have played big minutes on good teams. Between Payne's ball-handling, Shamet's shooting, and Bates-Diop's defensive versatility, all three have an argument for being part of the rotation. Sims will likely be behind Achiuwa in the rotation, but Thibodeau has played Sims big minutes before, even starting him when there have been injuries.
This list doesn't include rookie point guard Tyler Kolek, who impressed in Summer League and looks like one of the more NBA-ready rookies in this year's class.
There is potential for a "too-many-guys" situation with the Knicks; there will be rotation-worthy players who hardly see the floor this year. Thibodeau will have to make tough rotation choices if the Knicks stay healthy.
Given the Knicks' current needs at center, it's worth wondering if the front office will explore a consolidation trade — i.e. sending out multiple players for one better player.
Of course, if the Knicks don't make a move, they'll have one of the deepest teams in the NBA. Should a nightmare scenario unfold where half the rotation gets injured, as it did in last year's playoffs, Thibodeau has a multitude of options to put on the floor to remain competitive.
