The Knicks are 0-2 in the preseason, but that record is barely worth the paper it’s printed on. What matters in October is what’s showing up on the floor, and through the first two games there are already a few clear signs about how this starting group is functioning.
Jalen Brunson is the easiest place to start, because he looks like the same dependable engine the Knicks have come to expect. That offseason wrist surgery on his shooting hand raised some eyebrows, especially for a 30-year-old guard whose game depends so much on touch and timing.
So far, though, there’s been no visible slowdown. Brunson is averaging 12.5 ppg and shooting 50% from the field, and even after going 1-6 from three against the Wizards, he’s looked comfortable overall.
More important than the numbers is the way he’s playing. Brunson has been getting downhill, hitting floaters, working in the midrange, and still taking the three when it’s there.
Defensively, he’s been mixing it up too, even drawing a few of his patented offensive fouls already. Right now, he looks like the least of anyone’s concerns.
OG Anunoby has also flashed something that could quietly matter a lot if it sticks: he’s getting to the line. Since arriving in New York in December of 2023, he’s already sharpened different parts of his game, and this preseason has added another wrinkle. He’s currently leading the team in free throws per game at 5.5 attempts, even while playing just 16.6 mpg.
That’s a small sample, of course, and it’s fair to wonder whether it will last once the games start counting. But if Anunoby really has added another reliable way to pressure defenses, that changes things. He’s already a strong free throw shooter, so those trips can help his own efficiency while also easing some of the burden on Brunson.
Karl-Anthony Towns is another big piece worth watching, especially because the Knicks have kept some of the offensive structure that helped fuel their postseason run. There was plenty of question about whether that would carry over. Would the team keep using Towns as more of an offensive hub, or drift back toward a more Brunson-heavy, isolation-based approach?
Early on, the answer has leaned toward the former. The starters have continued to use Towns as a point of initiation, particularly in the season opener.
He’s spent a lot of time operating from the high post, making passes and working dribble handoffs. Towns, who is understandably frustrated about not having an extension, was a major part of the way the offense clicked late last season, and the Knicks have at least shown they’re still willing to tap into that.
Mikal Bridges rounds out the group, and he’s another player whose preseason usage is worth tracking. Fans have long wanted to see him attack the rim with more force instead of drifting into fadeaways, and that same conversation has followed him into this preseason.
During the postseason, he did a better job of driving through contact and playing with more physicality on both ends. The question was whether that would carry over.
It’s still early, but there are signs he’s trying to keep that edge. Bridges has taken the ball to the basket more than usual on a few possessions, and he’s also talked about doing that more.
He’s not suddenly turning into Brunson or Towns at the line, and he has still settled for fadeaways at times. But given his size and wingspan, he shouldn’t be avoiding contact the way he has in the past, and so far that appears to be at least part of the plan.
In Other News...
Knicks May Finally Have A Real Way To Move On From Dadiet
Pacome Dadiets place on the Knicks roster has become one of those quiet front-office questions that can linger longer than the box score suggests. With New York looking for every possible bit of flexibility, the idea is less about a splashy move and more about creating space, both on the roster and in the cap picture, for a team that keeps trying to sharpen the edges of its depth.
What makes this discussion more workable now is the draft capital New York has collected, which could help grease the wheels if the Knicks decide Dadiet is a piece worth moving on from. The league always has a few teams willing to talk when the right mechanism is in play, and the Knicks appear to have enough resources to explore those paths without forcing a larger deal, even if the final decision still feels very much like something that will take more digging. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Came Surprisingly Close To Watching Jalen Brunson Become The Enemy
Jalen Brunsons arrival in New York is one of the rare modern star moves that reshaped a franchise through free agency, and it still stands out because so few players of his caliber have changed teams that way this decade. For the Knicks, it has become the kind of signing that feels inevitable in hindsight, the sort of move that can make a front office look sharper long after the decision is made.
But the route to that reunion was a lot less straightforward than it seems now, with draft-night decisions and earlier trade discussions in Dallas helping shape the path that eventually sent Brunson to Manhattan. The Knicks were close enough to a very different reality that Brunson could have been wearing another uniform, and in a league where one altered draft or one different deal changes everything, that kind of near miss is the part worth remembering. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks May Be Underusing Karl-Anthony Towns In One Crucial Way
Karl-Anthony Towns first two preseason games have offered a glimpse of how the Knicks are using him, but not necessarily a full answer. He has been taking a fair share of three-point attempts, and the larger question is whether New York is putting him in enough early offensive actions to see how much he can tilt the floor before the possession settles into something else.
The coaching staff does not need to treat preseason production like a final verdict, but it does need a clearer read on Towns role and shot quality. Mondays game against Minnesota should give the Knicks another chance to try him in more deliberate early possessions and see whether a different usage pattern can clean up some of the turnovers while unlocking more of what he can do for the offense. [Read more 🡒]