The Knicks have a lot more work to do. Their lineup needs more depth, confinement, and consistent production from the bench.
Perhaps Tuesday’s 128-115 road win over the Indiana Pacers foreshadowed what’s to come following the All-Star break, which began for the Knicks last night after they hosted the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden. They went into the matchup 35-18, the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference, and holding the fourth best record overall in the NBA.
On an evening when the team’s leading scorer, Jalen Brunson, who went into last night averaging 25.9 points, shot just 4-11 for a season low eight points versus the Pacers, the Knicks leaned on Brunson’s fellow All-Star, center Karl-Anthony Towns, and do-it-all guard/forward Josh Hart to mitigate the point guard’s rare subpar performance. But most encouraging for head coach Tom Thibodeau’s squad were the contributions from the reserves.
“I thought our bench came in and gave us a big lift,” he said after the win via the MSG Network. “I loved the way Cam [Payne] and Deuce [McBride] and Landry [Shamet] played. And KAT [Towns] had a monster game and then of course what Josh did was what we needed to win; so he was everywhere flying around doing everything. So, good team win, good bounce back, and then they keep coming. We gotta be ready for Atlanta tomorrow.”
After an exasperating outing on Saturday at the Garden in which he shot 3-8, totaling only nine points in a disappointing 131-104 blowout loss to the Boston Celtics, Towns was dominant on Tuesday, posting 40 points and 12 rebounds, both game-highs. Hart added a resounding 30 points and 10 rebounds.
Yet it was the combined 68 minutes, 35 points, and 15 assists from Payne (eight assists), McBride (15 points) and Shamet (11 points) that was most gratifying for a team which, looking up at the East’s top two seeds in the Cleveland Cavaliers and Celtics, have demonstrably better benches. Forward Precious Achiuwa, who along with guard McBride are the Knicks’ primary reserves, has been in the starting lineup replacing forward OG Anunoby since he strained his right foot versus the Los Angeles Lakers at the Garden on Feb. 1.
OG is expected back immediately after the All-Star break when the Knicks play the Bulls at MSG next Thursday. More notable is the impending return of center Mitchell Robinson, whose presence on defense and on the boards could dramatically alter the Knicks’ makeup. Robinson has been out since undergoing left ankle surgery last May during the Knicks’ playoff run. Prior to having surgery on the same ankle in December 2023, which sidelined for over three months, the 7-footer was the NBA’s best offensive rebounder and on course to be named to the league’s All-Defensive team. The timeline for Robinson’s season debut is early March.
“It is very frustrating,” the 26-year-Robinson said on Tuesday speaking with reporters. “Not getting out there to be able to do what you love to do for a living. It’s been hard.”