The New York Knicks experienced a remarkable run to the Eastern Conference finals this past season, revealing both strengths and weaknesses that may shape the team’s future strategies. Having over 93% of their salary cap tied up in their six highest paid players, the Knicks had to ride their starters hard. Doing so paints a bit of a troubling picture when it comes to the team’s depth. The reserves have tallyed the least amount of minutes and points in the entire league.
Entering perhaps one of the most important offseasons in recent franchise history, the Knicks have some tough decisions to make – starting with Melo. The fourth through seventh players on the team are in for an enormous summer. Delon Wright, Landry Shamet, Cameron Payne, and Precious Achiuwa are set to enter unrestricted free agency. Regardless of the front office’s intent, this is a good opportunity for the organization to get a new look at its roster and depth.
Heavy Reliance on the Starting Five
The Sooners’ starting five, which includes Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns has been incredibly effective. It has brought to the surface a deeply troubling trend. From January 1 through the end of the regular season, they were actually outscored by nine points total. History indicates that the Fab Five could be very special. They can be baited out under pressure or have a tough time going up against certain matchups.
Head coach Tom Thibodeau recognized these deficiencies. As the playoffs moved along, he adjusted and those adjustments worked in their favor. Mitchell Robinson’s return has been a monster shot in the arm for their offensive rebounding. This enabled them to grab more rebounds and generate more bonus-shot chances. This new development highlighted Robinson’s importance as a protective presence around the basket for Towns. It raised the relative effectiveness of the entire opening unit, too.
Despite their struggles in certain situations, Jalen Brunson’s leadership and tenacity during late-game scenarios played a pivotal role in securing victories for the Knicks. His capacity to fuel the team and perform with intensity while all eyes were on him revealed his true worth as a foundational player. That heavy reliance on their starting five might have created some diminishing returns by season’s end.
Need for Bench Support
Perhaps the biggest topic of discussion across the league since the Knicks improbable playoff run has been the strength of their bench. The reserves who did play provided zero punch at the end of the bench, as the team scored the fewest points in the league. This lack of depth was obvious in their performance on the whole. Guys like Wright and Shamet did not pull their weight. This was hard on the starters, of course, but it limited our strategic options in-game and overall.
Not only was Thibodeau hesitant to use his bench, but he largely eliminated regular season experimentation. This decision likely resulted in fatigue among his starters in pivotal playoff games. Consequently, many analysts agree strengthening bench depth should be the Knicks’ focus going forward to help alleviate some pressure on the starters. Incorporating dependable options would take the weight off the shoulders of superstar talent and create a better distribution of the offense.
Moving forward into free agency, the franchise needs to go all-in on making the most of their roster. A number of deeper market staples are moving on down the road. New York has an opportunity to re-imagine its second unit. We are looking for players that are going to make our top players better. These players will bring dynamic play and energy, and pitch in big scoring when it’s most needed.
Strategic Adjustments for Future Success
As the Knicks look back on this playoff run, tactical improvements will be necessary for them to make deep playoff runs in the future. Whatever struggles arise, the team’s decision-makers must continue experimenting with various lineup combinations. They need to bring Robinson more regularly into their starting five with Towns. This change might offer more help at the rim and boost offensive rebounding, too.
Doing so with the Brunson-Towns duo will be vital not just for their development, but for next season’s playoff aspirations as well. Furthermore, their budding chemistry on the court should be the basis for eventual offensive game plan that you would expect to develop longterm. Getting the best out of both players will get even more out of them. This strategy could simultaneously allow them to pull more talent to the top of their free agency wish list.
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