New York Knicks: Three options to improve the bench next season
By Adam Kester
Why the bench is important
As a unit, the Knicks’ bench has struggled to find any consistency. Their plus/minus of -2.0 points this season is 6th worst in the NBA.
The Knicks have had a ton of trouble guarding the perimeter. The team is second-worst at defending the three in the entire league. More specifically to second units, opposing benches are shooting 38 percent from downtown this season against them, also the second-worst in the league.
Defending the three is just as important as shooting from beyond the arc in today’s game. The top twelve teams at defending three-pointers are all playoff teams. The Raptors, Clippers, and Celtics are the three teams at the top of the list, and all three of them utilize deep benches and rotations.
Having a bench equipped for the modern, fast-paced NBA takes an enormous amount of pressure off your starters. Bench players don’t need to have large usage rates, they just need to contribute to the team’s success.
The majority of the veterans that the Knicks brought in last offseason are defensive liabilities. That needs to change.
Prioritizing defense off the bench can go a long way to improving the roster. Here’s a look at three under-the-radar players the Knicks could attempt to sign in order to revamp their bench for next season.