The Knicks' preseason performance was lackluster to say the least. Outside of some nice games from Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Landry Shamet, and Andre Drummond (who was an nice early surprise), many of the players either failed to stand out or downright underperformed.
At the center of the fanbase's concerns, though, wasn't a particular player, but the bench unit as a whole. While the aforementioned Shamet and Drummond showed some nice flashes, much of the bench left a lot to be desired.
Tuesday's season opener provided the first real test for this group post-title. In some ways, the Knicks' bench proved against the 76ers that a few recent concerns were an overreaction. However, other worries were on display in the letdown of a loss.
Knicks' bench showed promise at first on Tuesday
New York got off to a bit of a slow start in their season opener, going up just 25-23 in the first quarter, partly due to Karl-Anthony Towns picking up two quick fouls. Drummond, one of the bench players with the most to prove after replacing fan favorite Mitchell Robinson, came in and did an admirable job filling in for Towns. He finished the first half with 10 points, 12 rebounds, three assists, one steal, and two blocks in the first 18 minutes (which led the team).
Miles McBride, who oddly played just six minutes in first half, gave fans some confidence in his shot again, making his lone three-point attempt. Alvarado and Shamet played solid defense and chipped in eight points combined. And veteran guard Jordan Clarkson went 2-5 in five minutes in the first half.
By halftime, both Towns and Josh Hart had three fouls with the duo combining for just nine points in 20 minutes. OG Anunoby had only two makes. And with Mikal Bridges scoring just four points, Brunson was the only starter with double-digit points.
New York managed to hold a four-point lead against a very hyped-up 76ers team mainly off the backs of the great minutes its bench provided them with. They made energy plays on both ends of the floor, they hit clutch shots, and most impressively, they did a lot of that damage against the 76ers' starters.
Knicks' bench took a dive in the second half
In the second half, the bench didn't look quite as good. While their play wasn't nearly as disappointing as the starters' was, they just could not replicate the energy and impact they had over the first two quarters.
Alvarado was the only bench player who finished the game on a good note, scoring eight points on 3-7 shooting from the field and 2-3 from three. He was tied for second on the team with three assists, and could have had two or three more had Drummond converted on Alvarado's nice passes. But that was about it for the good.
Unfortunately, what ensued for everyone else was a lot of bad with a splash of ugly. First-half standout Drummond was obviously stretched thin after playing much of the first two quarters. The veteran looked worse and worse as the game progressed.
He continued to miss easy shots, highlighting just how much worse of a finisher he is around the rim than Robinson. The defense, albeit the effort being there, slowly declined with the rest of the team. Simply put, he became a negative.
The worst of Knicks' bench issues on Tuesday
And then there was the ugly. Shamet falls under that category. In a game in which Anunoby and Bridges were struggling to get anything going offensively, the Knicks needed Shamet badly. These were the kinds of games in which the journeyman thrived in last season. He came through time and time again. And there's little reason to believe he won't do so again later on in the season.
But on Tuesday night, that wasn't the case. Shamet struggled to get clean looks and couldn't convert on the few ones he did get. The guard finished the game with just five points on 2-7 shooting and just 1-4 from three.
He wasn't the only one, though. McBride, who played just eight second half minutes didn't score a single point in the second half and finished the game with just one assist, one rebound, one block, and one turnover while shooting just 1-5 from the field and 1-3 from three. New York fans should remain confident in McBride, but between his subpar play and his surprisingly limited minutes, it's possible that his time as a Knick could be actually winding down.
With a long season, there will be the inevitable ups and downs of every player, especially ones coming off of the bench. Guys will struggle and their weaknesses will be exploited at times. And after what was undoubtedly a subpar preseason performance from much of the second unit, this was far from the kind of performance that gets you excited.
But it wasn't all bad either. It was extremely encouraging and reassuring to see Drummond have the impact he did in the first half. Alvarado may not be able to carry the offense like some other reserves can, but he brought as much energy as anybody else.
Still, it was an overall disappointing performance from the bench. As good as Drummond was in the first half, he was almost as bad in the second half. And the abysmal shooting of their two key bench shooters in Shamet and McBride left them with very little offense.
It's difficult and truthfully pointless to make any definitive statements after one game. But it does seem like the preseason concerns surrounding the bench were overblown in few areas, and also justified in others.
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