Pre-season has come to an end, and the new look Knicks heads into the regular season with solid momentum of a 4-1 record in their opening games. While the preseason is mostly about experimenting, developing chemistry and re-energizing players, there are some impressions to be gleaned, even if premature.
Here are five takeaways from a promising Knicks preseason:
This team is still brand new
It takes more than limited minutes in four games to develop chemistry in a starting lineup with two important new faces. That much was evident even watching them during their best stretches this preseason.
Players still pick up on each other’s tendencies, roles and pace, which was to be expected. Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns spent an entire quarter working together on pick-and-rolls, figuring out what worked and what didn’t.
AND Anunoby swung from passive to aggressive, Mikal Bridges mostly scored in transition and on cuts, and Josh Hart did not win until the last competition. None of this should worry fans or reflect what this team will look like in April, but don’t expect them to figure things out Tuesday night in Boston either.
This big change to the rotation will take more time than just preseason to come together. If New York looks a little rocky or disorganized to start the regular season, it should only be taken as a continuation of the learning curve that just started weeks ago.
Brunson should have an incredible gap
The top promise of the Towns trade seemed to come true in the glimpses we’ve seen of the new starting lineup. Brunson will operate with a gap he’s never had before on the Knicks, who now boast an elite five defenders he’ll be hesitant to help.
We saw some drives where Brunson got clean rim attacks that he didn’t have last season. While this may be due in part to the competition and effort being faced, it should be a good sign heading into the regular season.
There are some kinks to work out, as Hart’s defender left him on the perimeter to plug the primary action consistently, for example. Once they are worked out, it should prompt Brunson to have his best season of performance yet.
Cities look ready to defend
Even at preseason pace, Towns looks ready to adjust back to his full-time center role under a head coach Tom Thibodeau. He looked great grabbing rebounds, didn’t make many glaring mistakes, and forced some turnovers defensively.
How he will look in Game 7 of the conference finals against the Boston Celtics after a postseason concussion is obviously still in question, but those concerned about his daily effort to achieve that goal should be somewhat convinced. after these warm-up games.
A new youth movement is emerging
New York’s 2024 draft pick could pay dividends sooner and with bigger returns than expected. We’ve already seen three of their four picks in action, and even though it’s only preseason, there’s plenty to be excited about.
Tyler Kolek looks every bit the steal many have made him out to be, showing an advanced feel for the game and passing ability. Ariel Hukporti shined in his minutes at center, with active hands and some scary finishing ability that was tempered in Las Vegas Summer League as he played through a meniscus injury.
Even Pacome Dadietthe 19-year-old project from France looked unexpectedly ready for the big leagues, scoring an efficient 26 points over two games.
Fans shouldn’t expect a perfect carryover into the regular season — we might not see these names in the rotation for a while. That said, the talent is clearly there, and if the Knicks develop them as they have prospects in recent years, they could turn into weapons sooner rather than later.
A better bench than advertised
After last year’s postseason run fell apart due to injuries, bolstering the Knicks reserves became a focus of the offseason. Ongoing injuries and the city trade didn’t help, but after seeing their available options at work so far, their depth may be less of a question mark than anticipated.
The rookies have been one piece of the Knicks’ encouraging bench performance this preseason. veterans Precious Achiuwa, Cameron Payne, Landry Shamet and Jericho Sims also looked the part, calming some nerves about the depth of New York.
The Knicks don’t need all of these players to hit, just enough to fill out a nine-man rotation and plug some holes when guys go down. They seem to have a decent bit of optionality here, with plenty of upside from the frugals, perhaps the biggest positive development of the entire preseason.
