The New York Knicks may have only signed Dalton Knecht to a mere two-way deal, but it seems they should be open to giving him a legitimate shot at earning consistent action with the club right away this season.
At least, that's the kind of vibe coach Mike Brown is giving off, as he said Sunday before New York's loss to the Orlando Magic that while his starting rotation may be solidified, "Other than that, anybody can play."
He would further elaborate by saying that being named a backup "doesn't mean you’re always gonna be the seventh man or you’re always gonna be the eighth man."
Early results from this year's campaign only seem to show that the headman is already abiding by this philosophy.
The most notable example of this in action involves James Wiseman, who, even after registering zero minutes while Andre Drummond put forth a tremendous debut outing with the Knicks, one where he posted 12 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, and two stocks against Philadelphia, found himself evenly splitting time with the veteran against Orlando at seven minutes apiece late last week.
Now down 0-3 in these early stages of 2026-27, it should go without question that the Knicks are actively searching for answers to help stop the bleeding. Perhaps Knecht could be experimented with early on in an effort to help boost an area of play they've severely struggled in thus far.
Knicks could throw Dalton Knecht minutes to help boost perimeter play
Through these first three games of action, the Knicks offense has looked completely and utterly lost out there.
From ranking second to last in offensive rating to dead last in points per game, this is by no means the same kind of firepower that helped New York coast to an NBA Championship just a season ago.
Perhaps the most daunting drop-off is found in their perimeter scoring game, where they went from the fourth-best long-range shooting club last regular season, only to lead all teams in this category with a ridiculous clip of 39.1 percent in the playoffs, to now placing a lowly 18 while shooting just 32.4 percent from deep.
Knecht may be looked at as someone who may be able to spark a turnaround.
While he's certainly still a raw and unfinished product in the pros, throughout his three seasons, Knecht has undoubtedly flashed the kind of sharpshooting that made him a first-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft in the first place.
During his two years with the Lakers, the 25-year-old cashed in on 36.8 percent of his three-point attempts and, while receiving consistent playing time during his rookie year, he sported a solid offensive rating of 117 per 100 possessions.
Yes, his defensive production is far from respectable, but the upside he presents on the offensive end may be worth coach Brown experimenting with, especially now amid their historically poor start to their title-defense tour.
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