New York Knicks: Who stepped up during preseason loss to Houston Rockets?

Despite playing without six key rotational players, the New York Knicks showed promise during a 117-95 loss to the Houston Rockets. Who stepped up?

Monday, October 9 was a learning experience for the New York Knicks and their fans. It was a clear representation of the fact that a lopsided preseason loss isn’t necessarily synonymous with a result that should send a team or its fanbase into a downward spiral.

Although the final score was less than ideal, the Knicks overcame a severely shorthanded roster to flash some measure of potential during a 117-95 loss to the Houston Rockets.

New York was without six of the top 10 players in head coach Jeff Hornacek’s rotation. That laundry list featured Kristaps Porzingis, Willy Hernangomez, Frank Ntilikina, Doug McDermott, Mindaugas Kuzminskas, and Joakim Noah.

With six of the most valuable players on the roster absent, the Knicks still managed to provide fans with—admittedly limited—reasons for optimism.

Younger players stepped up with impressive showings against players who severely outclass them in status. Veterans stepped up to prove their worth and fight for position in Hornacek’s competitive rotation of players.

The question is: Which individual players stepped up for the New York Knicks during the 117-95 loss to James Harden and the Houston Rockets?