Mike Brown has already tested the edges of what the Knicks can get away with offensively, and the early answer is pretty blunt: not much when Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns are both on the bench.
That became obvious again in New York’s second game, when foul trouble helped drag the Knicks into a stretch where neither star was on the floor for more than 10 minutes total, according to Prime Stats. The Knicks actually won those combined minutes by a point, but that number came with a huge asterisk. A big chunk of the damage control came during Andre Drummond’s hot first-half stretch, and that’s not a stable fix given what followed later in the game and what he did against the Boston Celtics on Friday night.
Against Boston, the no-Brunson, no-Towns look was even uglier. New York went a little over four minutes without either of them and scored just three points in that span while getting outscored by seven overall. The collapse was enough to push Brown away from the experiment in the second half.
For now, that feels like the right call.
Brown’s willingness to get creative is easy to understand. Keeping Brunson and Towns together more often should help the offense find a better rhythm, and it also gives Brunson more chances to build chemistry with Drummond and James Wiseman, two bigs he has never played with before.
But there’s a difference between a reasonable idea and a workable one. Right now, the Knicks just don’t have enough self-creation to survive those stretches. At a minimum, they need Mikal Bridges to shake off one of his usual shooting slumps, while Jose Alvarado and OG Anunoby have to be more reliable offensively.
Even then, the ceiling on those groups looks limited. Any lineup without Brunson and Towns is short on playmaking, and that can lead to too much being asked of Anunoby, Bridges and Josh Hart.
It can also pull Drummond deeper into the kind of shots and decisions that aren’t always the most efficient. That’s not a recipe Brown should be eager to lean on.
There are a couple of possible long-term fixes. Jordan Clarkson can create his own shot, though he was better last season as an off-ball wing. Tyler Kolek becoming the floor general the Knicks hope for would help too, but he’s buried as something like the sixth guard in the rotation and still hasn’t played this season.
A trade could also change the equation, but the Knicks’ bigger need appears to be another big or backup wing, and those kinds of secondary offensive options don’t come cheap.
So until something changes, the simplest answer is also the safest one: keep Brunson and Towns on the floor together, and only split them up when there’s no other choice.
In Other News...
Knicks Already Have A Worrying Early Problem Around Their Stars
The Knicks season has opened with more questions than they probably wanted, and Sundays 111-102 loss to the Magic only sharpened them. New York got a strong start and solid nights from Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby, but the offense never found enough balance to sustain it, with shaky three-point shooting and little lift from the bench leaving too much on the starters shoulders.
Orlando took advantage of that imbalance as Franz Wagner and Desmond Bane combined for 45 points, helping push the Knicks to a third straight defeat. For a team built around high-end talent, the early concern is less about the stars themselves than about how little margin there has been around them, and how quickly those support issues can turn a competitive game into another frustrating finish. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Suddenly Have A Bench Backcourt Problem To Solve
Jose Alvarado is on the injury report as questionable for the Knicks upcoming game with a left ankle sprain, and that puts a little extra pressure on a backcourt that has already had to balance scoring, playmaking and second-unit creation. If he cannot go, the Knicks will have to sort through a bench guard rotation that needs more than one answer, especially when it comes to getting the offense organized once Jalen Brunson sits.
Miles McBride should still get his shooting chances, but the Knicks cannot ask him to handle every possession by himself. One possible fix is to stagger Brunsons minutes a bit more aggressively, while also taking a longer look at Tyler Kolek as a secondary ballhandler who can help keep the second group functioning. [Read more 🡒]
Former Lakers Guard Dalton Knecht Faces A Humbling Next Step
Dalton Knechts next stop is likely going to be a lot less glamorous than the one he just left. After being waived by the Lakers, the former first-round pick has landed with the Knicks on a two-way contract, giving New York a low-risk way to keep tabs on a player who still has some intrigue but needs time on the court.
Mike Brown made it clear this move comes with a developmental plan attached, saying Knecht will mainly spend his time with the Westchester Knicks to get the playing time he needs. That route could give New York a closer look at where his game stands, and the clock is already ticking with Westchester set to open its season Nov. 6 against the Maine Celtics. [Read more 🡒]