The Knicks bolstered their bench this offseason by signing Guerschon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson, who join what should be an excellent starting lineup in New York. The depth is great, as the Knicks set out on their quest to win a title. The other side of that coin is that there won't be many minutes to spare for their younger players, which could pose issues down the road as the Knicks' roster gets more expensive and they might need to rely on cheaper options.
The new depth means that the Knicks' nine-man rotation is most locked in. Their starting lineup will surely feature Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns. The fifth spot will likely be filled with Mitchell Robinson, Deuce McBride, or Josh Hart, with the other two joining Yabusele and Clarkson on the bench.
That means that the Knicks' young core of Pacome Dadiet, Tyler Kolek, and Ariel Hukporti could struggle to find any meaningful minutes outside of garbage time or a significant injury to one of the above-mentioned nine players.
Again, too much depth is a great problem for the Knicks to have right now. That said, as the roster becomes more expensive with looming contract extensions, it could put the Knicks in a precarious position.
The Knicks roster is only going to get more expensive
The Knicks have been dancing around the second apron and have done a great job staying beneath it while building a competitive roster. Some of that has to do with Brunson taking a significant discount, which gave the Knicks the flexibility to bring in more top-end talent.
Still, key pieces like Bridges and Robinson are up for extensions this summer, and if they want to avoid the crippling penalties that accompany the second apron, it might mean moving one of those pieces for a younger, cheaper option.
Will the cheaper options be ready?
This logjam of talent could prevent those younger, cheaper options from getting the experience they need to slide into a contributing role. Summer league showed that many of the Knicks' second-year players are still raw.
While Kolek has upside as a ball-handler, he had far more sloppy turnovers in summer league play than a player with a year of NBA experience should. Hukporti is clearly a willing learner and has upside as both a rebounder and a passer, but would he be ready to take over Robinson's role?
The Knicks' primary concern is winning now, and it should be. But when that tax number starts creeping higher, it will be interesting to see what direction they go in.