The Knicks have done a fantastic job rounding out their starting five and reinforcing the bench this off-season. Acquiring Mikal Bridges from the Nets offers the team one of the best defensive wings in basketball, not to mention extending OG Anunoby, an elite defender with underrated scoring qualities.
The Knicks have as good a starting five as any team in basketball, but what they have on the bench could be the difference-maker in close games. After setting the franchise record for three-pointers made in a single season, their not-so-secret weapon, Donte DiVincenzo, is now a rotation piece coming off the bench, immediately becoming one of the favorites to win Sixth Man of the Year.
The Knicks Have an Elite Scorer Coming Off the Bench
DiVincenzo featured as a primary starter last season in 63 games over 81 appearances. He worked his way into the equation with injuries mounting, and his scoring efficiency was off the charts. He averaged a career-high 15.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.3 steals. He shot .443 from the field and set a career-high .401 success rate from three-point range.
In other words, DiVincenzo was a walking bucket every time he touched the court, and the Knicks need that type of production on the second team.
Coach Tom Thibodeau knows that DiVincenzo can be a primary starter if any injuries occur. Still, his ability to walk onto the court and immediately score will be unique, given other teams don’t have regular starters coming off the bench.
Of course, we haven’t even mentioned Josh Hart’s energizing style of play. Hart is one of the best rebounding small forwards in basketball for his size and routinely set the tone for the Knicks last season. It will be interesting to see how Thibodeau splits up the playing time, with Hart averaging 33.4 minutes and DiVincenzo 29.1 minutes this past season. If he gets them to around 25 minutes each per game, not only will the Knicks be a lot healthier during the postseason, but the inevitable injuries will force them into more prominent roles at some point.
Building a Deep Bench
New York is trying to follow a similar strategy to the Boston Celtics, building a dominant starting five with efficient bench options. You could argue that the Knicks have an even deeper bench now, with DiVincenzo and Hart in the second rotation.
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The front office may not even be done adding pieces, having recently extended Precious Achiuwa on a one-year, $6 million deal and still having sights on a potential veteran center to pair with Mitchell Robinson. That one last piece could be the difference between pushing toward a championship and an early playoff exit, so the Knicks will certainly be proactive in finding another starting-caliber center, but they have no reason to be overly aggressive at this point after all the tremendous moves they’ve made.