The Knicks’ preseason hasn’t exactly come with championship shimmer.
New York is 0-4 after getting thumped 148-98 by the Raptors on the second night of a back-to-back, with all of the starters sitting out. That kind of result will sting on the surface, but it also fits the moment the Knicks are in.
The last meaningful games they played were Finals games, the kind that drain every ounce out of a team. Now they’re trying to find their legs again with Ring Night approaching and one preseason game left to sort through a few open questions.
One of the biggest decisions still hanging over the roster is the final spot available to James Wiseman, Tony Bradley, Drew Eubanks, Bruce Brown, and Ochai Agbaji. Unless the Knicks move Pacome Dadiet, who hasn’t been lighting it up in preseason, to open room for two players, it seems likely that one of the centers will stick.
Wiseman has made a real push for it. He had a solid preseason debut against the 76ers, then followed it up Tuesday with his best showing yet: 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting and 10 rebounds in a start.
Even if that came in a 50-point loss, it still counts as a strong case for a player trying to carve out a role. Among the group, he brings the most upside.
Bradley has also put himself on the radar. He got a longer look in Monday’s loss to the Timberwolves and made the most of it, scoring 10 points on 5-of-5 shooting in seven minutes. Eubanks, at least for now, appears to be trailing the pack.
The appeal of Brown’s veteran steadiness or Agbaji’s wing potential is obvious, but carrying only two centers into the season would be playing with fire. If Karl-Anthony Towns or Andre Drummond were to get hurt early, the Knicks’ depth chart at the position would be in real trouble.
Then there’s Diawara, whose preseason has been more uneven than the Knicks probably wanted. The 6-foot-9 second-year wing came into camp with some buzz after a promising rookie year, even if that role was limited. He doesn’t need to become a star; if he can settle in as a dependable seventh-, eighth-, or ninth-man type on the wing, that would be a major help for New York.
So far, though, the returns have been mixed. Diawara has made 9 of 20 shots across four preseason games, including just one attempt in two of them, and he’s gone 3-of-11 from deep.
He has four assists, six turnovers, 11 fouls, and zero free throw attempts. There have been some useful defensive possessions, but also too many moments where opponents have blown by him.
At times, he has looked passive, much like he did as a rookie.
That said, Tuesday gave the Knicks at least a little something to work with. It was Diawara’s most encouraging offensive performance of the preseason.
He finally knocked down some threes and showed more willingness to push in transition. That matters, especially after he spent most of the playoff run on the sideline and is still working his way back to game speed.
Thursday’s finale now feels important for him. A sharper offensive night, some playmaking, and steady defense would go a long way in calming the noise around his preseason. He’s likely to open the regular season in the rotation either way, but a strong finish could stretch his leash a bit.
The broader question is the one hovering over everything: how ready are the Knicks to run it back?
They’re the hunted now, and they’re doing it after a short, packed summer filled with celebrations, media hits, and all the obligations that come with winning it all. Mike Brown and the staff know the team has to manage the regular season carefully to stay fresh for the playoffs.
At the same time, they can’t coast in a deep Eastern Conference, especially with fewer tanking teams around thanks to the draft lottery changes. Easy nights won’t come often, and slipping too much could leave the Knicks fighting to stay in the top four.
At the same time, the preseason has made clear that getting back to a regular-season rhythm won’t happen overnight. The intensity of the Finals is not easy to shake, and the level of execution the regular season demands is still a step up from what New York has shown so far.
Knicks fans don’t need to panic over preseason results - the Spurs and Thunder are also a combined 1-7 - but Thursday should at least give a better sense of whether the starters and bench can crank things up a notch before the spotlight gets brighter next Tuesday, when the new championship banner goes up and the 76ers arrive with plenty of attention of their own.
In Other News...
Nets Are Suddenly In The Middle Of A Karl-Anthony Towns Debate
Karl-Anthony Towns has already become one of the more complicated talking points around the Knicks, and the uncertainty comes from more than just basketball fit. With Leon Rose and James Dolan involved on the executive side, the team is facing the kind of internal balancing act that can shape a decision long before it reaches the trade market.
If the Knicks do decide to move Towns, there would not be a shortage of interested teams, with the Brooklyn Nets and Chicago Bulls among the clubs mentioned as possible suitors because of their cap space and roster fit. Nothing is imminent, but the important part is that New York controls the situation, and any call on Towns would be theirs to make. [Read more 🡒]
Former Knicks Big Man Suddenly In The Middle Of Lakers Trade Buzz
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Knicks Could Still Make One More Bench Move Before Opening Night
The Knicks trimmed their preseason group by waiving Ochai Agbaji, Tony Bradley and Drew Eubanks before the final exhibition, a move that clarified the immediate roster picture but did not quite finish it. Eubanks was already out with a torn pectoral muscle, and the reshuffling around the end of the bench now leaves New York in a familiar late-October spot, with a few names still hanging around on the edge of the roster conversation.
Bruce Brown and James Wiseman are still on non-guaranteed deals, and the Knicks have the financial room to add one more veteran minimum contract if they decide they want extra depth before opening night. Around the league, similar end-of-roster decisions are still unfolding for players like Cisse, Sims, Peavy, Tshiebwe and Potter, but for the Knicks the bigger question is whether they use that flexibility now or let the group they have carry into the start of the season. [Read more 🡒]