Dalton Knecht may not be carrying the weight of a marquee addition after landing with the Knicks on a two-way deal, but the early message from Mike Brown suggests that label might not keep him off the floor for long.
Brown made that point plainly Sunday before New York’s loss to the Orlando Magic, saying that while his starting group may already be set, “Other than that, anybody can play.”
He doubled down on the idea by noting that a reserve tag is not a permanent label, explaining that being named a backup "doesn't mean you’re always gonna be the seventh man or you’re always gonna be the eighth man."
The early stretch of the season has already backed up that approach. James Wiseman is the clearest example. After logging zero minutes in one game while Andre Drummond delivered a standout debut for the Knicks against Philadelphia with 12 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, and two stocks, Wiseman then split time evenly with Drummond at seven minutes apiece against Orlando.
With the Knicks sitting at 0-3 in the opening stages of 2026-27, the search for answers is already on. One of those answers could be to test Knecht early and see whether he can add some much-needed punch to a team that has looked stuck in neutral.
The biggest issue so far has been on the offensive side, where New York has looked lost through three games. The Knicks are second to last in offensive rating and dead last in points per game, a stunning fall for a team that just a season ago helped itself coast to an NBA Championship.
Their perimeter production has taken the sharpest hit. After ranking fourth in three-point shooting during the regular season and then leading the league in the playoffs by hitting 39.1 percent from deep, New York is now 18th at just 32.4 percent.
That opens a door for Knecht. He may still be rough around the edges as a pro, but his shot is real, and that is why he was a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft in the first place.
Over his two seasons with the Lakers, the 25-year-old hit 36.8 percent of his three-point attempts. During his rookie year, when he saw steady minutes, he also posted an offensive rating of 117 per 100 possessions.
The defensive concerns are obvious, and they are not being ignored. Even so, the offensive upside is enough to make him a worthwhile option for Brown to try, especially with New York off to such a rough start in defense of its title.
In Other News...
Knicks May Have Pulled Off Another Quiet Draft-Night Win
The Knicks used the 30th pick on Sergio de Larrea, then quickly turned that selection into a different kind of asset by sending his rights to the Mavericks for two future second-round picks. It was the sort of maneuver that fits neatly with how New York has tried to work around its salary cap limitations, squeezing value wherever it can find it instead of simply standing pat on draft night.
De Larrea was already playing professionally in Spain, and soon after the draft he helped Valencia win the Liga ACB title, adding another layer to a player the Knicks never intended to keep. New York also knew Dallas had been linked to him and had the front office ties to make the deal work, which is why this looked less like a pass on a prospect and more like a calculated bet on information and timing. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Just Got Pulled Into A Wild Karl-Anthony Towns Trade Idea
The Knicks have been pulled into an early-season trade idea that already feels bigger than the standings around it. Miami opened with a 0-4 start after reshaping its roster in a blockbuster deal with Milwaukee for Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis, and the rough beginning has only fueled chatter about how the new pieces fit with Bam Adebayo still anchoring the frontcourt.
What makes the speculation more interesting from New Yorks side is the path some are floating to get there: a swap centered on Adebayo and Tim Hardaway Jr. for Karl-Anthony Towns. Nothing has been confirmed by Miami, and the Heat could easily give the group more time to settle in, but the mere fact the Knicks are part of this kind of conversation says a lot about how quickly the league starts chasing the next big idea when a new roster stumbles out of the gate. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Already Have A Real Andre Drummond Debate On Their Hands
Andre Drummonds first few weeks as the Knicks backup center have already turned into a small but real rotation conversation. He opened the 2026-27 season with a double-double, then saw his minutes dip in the next games as Mike Brown adjusted the lineup, a familiar kind of early-season sorting-out process for a team still figuring out how it wants to use its depth. Even so, Brown has made clear Drummond remains in the backup mix, which matters for a bench frontcourt that needs a dependable presence when the starters sit.
Drummond gave the Knicks a reminder of why that role is worth monitoring in the win over Detroit, when he scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds in 14 minutes. It was a cleaner, more productive showing than some of his earlier outings, and it gave New York a useful glimpse of what he can offer when the minutes are there. The larger question now is whether that performance is the start of a steadier climb back into a bigger share of the center rotation. [Read more 🡒]