The New York Knicks will hit the court with a relatively similar roster from their 2022-23 playoff campaign. New addition Donte DiVincenzo highlighted their offseason acquisitions, but the Knicks have three more spots to fill. Who will make the cut?
Are the Knicks’ Two-Way Players The Best Options To Make the Cut?
Stefan Bondy of the New York Post detailed the players in the running to earn a spot at the end of New York’s depth chart, and Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau’s outlook on the pool of talent:
“It’s going to be a tough call,” Thibodeau said. “Those guys have been here for a good chunk of the summer and fall and worked extremely hard. We’ll see how it unfolds. We still have a little more time to go. But they’ve been terrific. Hopefully, we’ll be able to keep some of those guys for our G-League team.”
Dylan Windler, Nathan Knight, and Jaylen Martin are all under two-way contracts and have the best shot to make the roster out of the field of contenders.
Windler saw the most playing time of his career as a rookie, but hasn’t played 10 or more minutes a night in his last two campaigns and hasn’t had much production to show for.
The same can be said for Nathan Knight, though his name has been attached to a couple of highlight-worthy plays that made for nice additions to NBA Top Shot collections.
Martin signed a two-way deal with the Knicks back in July and the 19-year-old wing presents an NBA-ready body. He excelled in the Overtime Elite league with 2.6 steals per 40 minutes and showed great skill in attacking the basket.
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Veterans Arcidiacono, Washington Jr., and Roby Among Talents for Coach Thibodeau to Evaluate
The rest of the players in consideration include Ryan Arcidiacono, Isaiah Roby, Duane Washington Jr., Charlie Brown Jr., and Jacob Toppin – brother of former Knicks power forward Obi Toppin.
While New York is solidified with All-Star caliber production from Jalen Brunson and Sixth Man of the Year level play from Immanuel Quickley, they could use another point guard to round out their depth at the position.
Arcidiacono has been a solid three-point shooter with a low 4.5/1.2 assist-to-turnover ratio per 36 minutes in his career and plays at a steady pace. He would be the fourth Villanova Wildcat to join his former teammates on the squad.
The best of the bunch with the most to show for are Duane Washington Jr. and Isaiah Roby, who each have proven themselves to be dynamic scorers in limited playing time, moving well on the floor and showing capabilities as two-way contributors.
Charlie Brown Jr. falls into the same boat as Windler, Knight and Martin, while Toppin doubled his scoring and rebounding as a senior at the University of Kentucky behind 12.4 points and 6.8 rebounds, though his 30.5 percent clip from the three-point line leaves much to be desired.
Tune in to the Knicks’ first preseason game and catch all the players in the running compete for the final roster spot.