The Knicks front office did a great job of strengthening their bench this offseason, making splashes by signing Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele. That said, they have a big question mark surrounding who the backup point guard on the roster is.
As James Edwards III of The Athletic recently reported, the Knicks and new head coach Mike Brown are likely to run a nine-man rotation of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mitchell Robinson, Josh Hart, Deuce McBride, Clarkson, and Yabusele.
It is certainly a formidable group, but the question that remains is who runs the show when Brunson heads to the bench? Delon Wright and Cam Payne, who backed up Brunson last year, seem poised to depart in free agency, and there are questions regarding how well McBride and Clarkson can initiate offense for a team.
The Knicks could add a true point guard still
The Knicks still have room on their roster to add another veteran on a minimum contract. That could mean bringing Wright or Payne back, or looking at other available options such as veteran Malcolm Brogdon or even Ben Simmons, although he is more of a wing or small center at this stage of his career.
They also have young players, who plenty within the organization would love to see step into a bigger role, such as second-year guard Tyler Kolek, who impressed many with his passing abilities in the spot minutes he received during his rookie campaign.
Relying on McBride and Clarkson to fill the void
Edwards III lists McBride as the de facto backup point in his prediction of what the Knicks' depth chart will look like to start the year. While McBride certainly should have a bigger role this season, he is best suited as an off-ball guard who can space the floor and knock down threes. I have questions about his ability to run an offense, even against the opponent's reserves.
Clarkson, on the other hand, is more of a shooting guard. He certainly is able to handle the ball and is fully capable of creating his own shot. That said, is he the connective piece that will get others involved?
There is also the possibility that the Knicks look to Bridges to take a bigger on-ball role. We saw it at times last season, particularly late in games during the playoffs with Brunson on the bench. Brown could look at him to run the offense for stretches as well.