Half the preseason remains to be played, but it’s fair to reason the New York Knicks have more than a half-baked sense of who they expect to win the last roster spot – two spots, if they trade someone, which is a possibility that grows more likely given the owner’s refusal to enter the second apron.
Tonight’s game in Minnesota is probably the hopefuls’ last shot at making a case for themselves. That said, which players look likely to secure a roster spot? Let’s start with the longshots.
The runners-up
Ochai Agbaji, Drew Eubanks and Tony Bradley came into camp with more experience than most of their competitors. Normally, that might explain why they’ve played less than the other bench contenders; the coaching staff already has an idea of what they can offer. But methinks there’s more to it.
Those three veterans were all DNPs last Thursday vs. Washington. In 20 combined minutes in the preseason opener in Philadelphia, they produced two points and two rebounds. This isn’t the time of year when the stats tell the story, but when a lackluster debut is followed by a DNP, the ice is getting thin. Could these players’ resumes have helped seal their fate?
Agbaji is a 3-and-D prototype who’s been inconsistent from three-point range in his career, shooting 29%, 40%, and 27% over the past three seasons. The Knicks prefer to play five-out as much as possible.
If Agbaji and Andre Drummond were to ever share the floor, it would shrink faster than an NFT as defenses swarmed the other three Knicks and dared those two to beat them from outside. So Agbaji’s likeliest route to a roster spot would be featuring him draining from deep. Midway through the audition period, he hasn’t shown he can.
Eubanks and Bradley are perfectly cromulent big men, neither ceiling- nor floor-raisers. That could be the biggest reason they’re unlikely to make the team. Any third-string Knicks center follows in the footsteps of two remarkable centers who, between them, are an all-time shooting and scoring 5 and one of the greatest rebounders ever at the position.
New York’s forwards and guards are always paired with a center who is in some manner exceptional. If Bradley and Eubanks were faces, they’d be the kind you forget five seconds after meeting them. There’s nothing wrong with them. There’s just nothing to hang onto.
James Wiseman is younger than both and has vast untapped potential. The Knicks may not want their third center to be vanilla. Drummond is undeniably a downgrade from Mitchell Robinson. Maybe the team thinks Wiseman’s gifts are enough of an upgrade over Ariel Hukporti to make the Knicks ultimately better at center than they were a year ago. Still, if Wiseman makes the team, it will most likely be because a trade opens an additional roster spot, and not because one veteran seems to have stood out from the rest.
Honorable mentions
Wiseman and Jaden Akins are two of only three Knicks newcomers who’ve played in both preseason games. Wiseman has made an impact on the glass and the score sheet, scoring 12 points (72% shooting) and grabbing six rebounds in 18 total minutes.
He also has the advantage of having worked with Mike Brown in Golden State; that he’s here and getting minutes would imply there’s something more than mere familiarity between them. There's also the fact that the best extended stretch of play in Wiseman's career came in Detroit while working with current Knicks big man coach Mark Bryant.
Akins has probably been the most surprising positive story. Undrafted out of Michigan State in 2025, he’s yet to play in the NBA, though he spent some time with Orlando and Detroit. He’s played in both preseason games so far, shot the ball about as well as one can in 14 total minutes, and shown he can contribute as a distributor and a defender.
While the odds may remain against him making the champs’ roster, other teams are always watching. If they have been, someone will give Akins a shot, at least with their G League team.
The winner: Bruce Brown
Championship pedigree? Bruce Brown was third in minutes for the 2023 title-winning Nuggets.
Versatility? Brown has played point guard for nearly 20% of his career minutes, nearly 30% at small forward, and the rest at the two-guard. He can step in for or alongside Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, and Jalen Brunson.
Familiarity? Brown spent time in New Orleans two years ago, where Ed Flynn worked as the Pelicans' video coordinator. The Knicks recently hired Flynn as their new video replay challenge guy. As with Wiseman, familiarity doesn’t always breed contempt. Just as often, it welcomes us.
Brown is kind of a perfect fit when looking at who’s likely to stay with the team and who could be moved. The roster calculus suggests New York could move a guard or wing for a big.
The three frontrunners are Miles McBride, Pacome Dadiet, and Mo Diawara. Dadiet isn’t a roster presence. McBride and Diawara both bring stuff to the table, but Brown could mitigate either loss, given his jack-of-all-trades repertoire. If the Knicks ever want to go big, Brown is a powerful would-be point guard; if they go small, he can play forward. And with Josh Hart playing the rest of his career with a deformed finger on his shooting hand, Brown is valuable insurance if Hart is ever out for a while.
Presumably, all the roster hopefuls still have time to make their case, but if they don't tonight, they probably won't get another chance with the defending champs.
Whoever makes the team could play a bigger role than they or we ever expected. Remember, last year when the Knicks won the title in San Antonio, Jeremy Sochan was on the floor for the final defensive possession -- after finishing 17th on the team in regular-season minutes. There are no small roles, only small actors. Whoever the Knicks keep better be ready for their spotlight.
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