Ultimately, Tuesday night didn't conclude the way the Knicks would've wanted, as they fell to the 76ers. New York's loss was due to some lackluster performances and a few hiccups out of the gate.
That said, a few players' outlooks might've improved in the season opener, while others are potentially a little worse off.
Loser 1: Miles McBride
Suffice it to say, Game 1 of the season was not the start Miles McBride would've wanted. He had a terrible shooting performance (1-for-5) and struggled to make a positive impact as a result, given that his defense can only add so much on nights when his offense goes missing.
Unfortunately, McBride has gone MIA on offense more often than not when looking back on these past playoffs, the preseason, and now the season opener. He chalked up his previous struggles to his core muscle surgery, but we're now several months removed from that, and the same issues shooting the ball remain.
It appears Mike Brown is already starting to be open to McBride being less featured than usual, as the guard had his minutes scaled back to 14 against Philadelphia. The fact that this didn't motivate him to make the most of less time is an even worse sign for McBride coming out of his contest.
If his struggles continue, New York may want to sell quickly to get some trade value out of McBride, who's on an expiring deal and an absolute no to re-sign if this is how he'll be long-term.
Winner 1: James Wiseman
James Wiseman didn't make his Knicks' regular-season debut on Tuesday, but he appears to have benefited anyway.
First, he watched Karl-Anthony Towns show that his foul troubles haven't gone away after an offseason to address them. This led to the main backup, Andre Drummond, being inserted into the game much sooner than planned.
Though Drummond played incredibly well in the first half, his flaws started to show over the final two quarters as he ran out of juice and started overstepping his role.
Both of these elements work in Wiseman's favor. KAT still being a problematic fouler means a third-stringer like Wiseman should have more chances to play than a usual deep-depth piece might. And Drummond undoing a lot of the initial good he did indicates there's room for Wiseman to potentially stake his claim to the main backup role as the season goes on.
The former No. 2 overall pick will still need to play the long game to see any consistently big minutes, but the first contest made it clear there's a path for Wiseman to carve out his place in this rotation. This isn't an Ariel Hukporti-Mitchell Robinson dynamic anymore, raising the upside for Wiseman as the current third-stringer.
Loser 2: Tyler Kolek
On the whole, Tuesday didn't help Tyler Kolek's chances to graduate from his small role with New York. The man above Kolek on the depth chart, Jose Alvarado, was arguably the Knicks' second-best bench player in the Sixers game, recording a healthy eight points (with two makes from three), three rebounds, three assists, and two steals.
It was a trademark performance from the dependable guard who relishes the opportunity to come in, pester opponents, and provide his team with a spark. It's that reliability that keepsKolek at arm's length from seeing real playing time, since he's not nearly as accomplished or proven as the veteran Alvarado.
A poor start out of the gate from the latter might've made Brown more willing to tinker in the coming weeks. Instead, Alvarado delivered exactly what's needed of him, so there's no incentive to experiment with Kolek playing over the vet.
McBride's struggles do leave an opening for Kolek if he can be a positive help as a two-guard, but that's no guarantee with the Marquette alum being a traditional PG who doesn't shoot well or look to score.
Winner 2: Mohamed Diawara
Much like Wiseman, Mohamed Diawara could be inching closer to getting some run following the letdown of a loss on Champions Night.
Jordan Clarkson logged only eight minutes, so he doesn't appear to have much of a stranglehold on a large role. Meanwhile, Landry Shamet paced the reserves with 25 minutes, but he had a rough time shooting (2-for-7 from the field, 1-for-4 from deep, and 0-for-2 from the free-throw line), which is what the Knicks need most from him.
There just wasn't much of a boost coming from Clarkson, Shamet, or McBride, leaving the bench to be parts good (Drummond in the first half, Alvarado overall) and parts mediocre or straight-up bad.
Coach Brown cannot have his bench laying eggs like this when the starters are not very far removed from a demanding Finals run, so this performance likely helps Diawara's case for a shot at proving himself. He is very much an unknown and still finding his place in the NBA, but there's been enough exciting flashes from him to re-sign this summer and at least consider for a main rotation spot.
So even though Diawara was a DNP here, it'd be no surprise if Brown dusts him off quickly from the bench if the veteran reserves stumble like this over the opening week.
Loser 3: Karl-Anthony Towns
As mentioned, Towns found himself in early foul trouble on Tuesday, which is a continuation of an issue that's followed him throughout his career.
While the season opener didn't unveil a new weakness for the big man, it did confirm this is something teams can exploit throughout the campaign, which will only hurt him. Opponents, who all want to beat the Knicks this year, can follow the blueprint the 76ers started in the playoffs and resumed on Tuesday to keep forcing him to be pulled from games early.
That'll make it difficult for him to establish a rhythm and have the large impact he wants. Should it be a storyline all season long and lead to negative effects on his stats, that also deals a blow to Towns' hopes of getting a massive next contract, as no team will want to pay him more than what a big man with a clear flaw is worth.
The need for Towns to work on this has never been more apparent, but perhaps the incentive with his last big NBA payday at stake will finally introduce a change.
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