The New York Knicks have a brand new starting five that includes two big newcomers in Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, and they now have one of the best starting lineups in the entire league. However, the moves to acquire those guys have come at the cost of their depth, which was one of their strengths over the past few seasons.
The Knicks could use Mikal Bridges as a leader of the second unit
Currently, the Knicks bench is very guard-heavy, with Miles McBride, Cam Payne, and Landry Shamet expected to carry the scoring load off the bench. They lack wing depth in the bench unit, which could make head coach Tom Thibodeau stagger some of the minutes from his starters so they get time with the second unit as well.
MSG Network’s Alan Hahn noted that Bridges could be a leading candidate to see lots of time with the bench players on the court given his chemistry with Payne and Shamet. The three played together for a brief period of time with the Phoenix Suns.
“Thibs has already talked this week about chemistry Bridges/Payne/Shamet have from their PHX days,” Hahn posted on X. “Can see Bridges as the starter who stays with the 2s and plays the lead dog.”
Bridges’ versatility could provide a spark for the Knicks’ bench
The Knicks could strongly benefit from using Bridges in phases with the second unit thanks to his versatility and length. He would give that unit an additional scorer he can make baskets from all spots of the court while also enhancing that unit’s defense on the perimeter, an area of the second unit that could be a glaring weakness given the lack of size it currently has.
The growth that Bridges has experienced by being a No. 1 option the last two seasons with the Brooklyn Nets could also be used to his advantage should he see time with the bench group. As Hahn said, Bridges would be the “lead dog” of that unit and it would allow him to utilize all of his strengths as he would essentially run the offense with that group.
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Josh Hart and OG Anunoby could also see time with the bench unit
Of course, Bridges isn’t the option that can get time with the bench, as Josh Hart and OG Anunoby could also be plugged in with them at various points throughout the game depending on the situation. Hart can provide a faster pace with a playmaking boost while Anunoby could give them an additional catch-and-shoot scorer while being a plus defender.
Regardless, Thibodeau will need to open his bag of tricks to figure out what will work best when it comes to his bench unit this season. In past years, he had several different bench options that could provide consistent minutes, but now they will want to keep their best guys on the floor as long as possible, so it will certainly be interesting to see how he handles that rotation this season.
