The Knicks have a real Bruce Brown question on their hands, and two short preseason cameos shouldn’t be enough to answer it.
Jalen Brunson has already made the case for his teammate. After Thursday’s exhibition, he pointed to Brown’s physical tools and what they can bring to the group.
“Physically, I think the things that he can do for us can be very helpful,” Brunson said, according to SNY’s Ian Begley. That kind of endorsement from the starting point guard matters.
It just doesn’t close the book on the roster spot.
Brown is in camp on a non-guaranteed deal, and Begley reports the Knicks want to stay below the second apron while keeping room for one more veteran. That setup leaves New York weighing Brown against the frontcourt depth chart, especially because the team does not have a third center on a guaranteed contract. James Wiseman, Drew Eubanks and Tony Bradley all sit in the mix as the final decision takes shape.
So far, though, the Knicks have not given Brown much of a real test.
Across the two preseason games, he has scored six points on 3-for-6 shooting. Against Washington, he finished with four points, one rebound and one assist in 10 minutes.
That’s not enough to make a strong case either way. It’s just a small sample, and a small sample doesn’t tell you whether a player belongs in the regular rotation.
What the Knicks need to see is how Brown functions in the role he’d actually play. Can he help a creator get a cleaner look?
Can he keep the ball moving without needing the offense to bend around him? Can the group hold up defensively with him on the floor?
Six shot attempts don’t answer any of that.
A longer run next to Brunson or another ball-handler would be far more useful. Brown wouldn’t need to pile up points to prove something. The real question is whether he makes the possession cleaner, the decisions sharper and the lineup steadier when he’s playing a supporting role.
None of that means Brown should automatically get the job. Brunson’s praise and a couple of preseason shifts don’t prove how Brown is defending right now, and they certainly don’t guarantee he belongs ahead of the other candidates.
There’s also the center issue, and that may be the cleaner answer. Begley reports that if New York wants to keep both an extra wing and a center while staying on the second-apron path, it would have to move a player on a guaranteed NBA contract. That doesn’t force the Knicks into one outcome, but it does make the choice sharper.
For me, Brown deserves a real look. I wouldn’t move an established player just to open a spot for him. A reserve can matter in the right lineups without being worth that kind of cost.
And if the Knicks decide the bigger need is inside, then the center route should win out. Keeping depth in the frontcourt would make sense even if Brunson would love to have Brown around. The roster should be built around what the team needs most, not just which connection feels good.
There’s still time to sort it out the right way. Give Brown a defined role with meaningful minutes, compare that to the value of carrying a third center, and let the stronger case decide the spot.
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