For all the hand-wringing over how the New York Knicks will flesh out the rest of the roster, we just received a brutal reminder that applies to most late-summer decisions: It’s probably not going to matter.
James L. Edwards III of The Athletic recently took a stab at building the team’s rotation for this coming season. And his “hunch” is that new head coach Mike Brown “will consistently use” a nine-man rotation.
Like he also notes, those nine spots already seem accounted for with Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mitchell Robinson, Josh Hart, Deuce McBride, Guerschon Yabusele, and Jordan Clarkson.
That doesn’t leave much room for change—at least not via free agency.
The Knicks aren’t linked to anyone who will make a major difference
The bar for snagging one of those nine spots is incredibly high. Frankly, you aren’t doing it as a big man. Towns, Robinson, and Yabusele have the frontline on lockdown, even if they lean heavily into dual-big lineups.
In fact, barring a big trade, eight of the nine rotation spots seem immovable. That may vary depending on how you feel about Yabsuele, or McBride. Otherwise, Clarkson looms as the lone question mark. And even his spot feels relatively safe when looking at the current free-agent landscape.
Landry Shamet has emerged as the patented favorite to land one of New York’s remaining roster spots. If it’s not him, the Knicks have been most heavily linked to Ben Simmons.
Either one of them could be a factor if Brown regularly extends his rotation to 10. But Simmons’ offensive limitations make it difficult for him to usurp Clarkson. Shamet probably has the better chance of doing so. He brings needed three-point volume, and try-hard defense. Whether he provides enough half-court creation to get the nod is debatable (at best.)
New York must extend its rotation for free agency to actually matter
Rolling 10 deep on most nights would increase the stakes on New York’s remaining free-agency moves. The current makeup of the roster suggests that is not the plan. Especially when the Knicks have all but revealed Pacome Dadiet and Tyler Kolek aren’t expected to play regular roles.
Shifting this approach isn’t out of the question. We will know whether the Knicks are serious about going 10 players deep if they decide to pursue two more veteran signings rather than just one. The machinations behind clearing the way for a pair of experienced free agents will require creativity, and is not without collateral damage. But they seem open to at least considering it.
For now, though, Edwards’ interpretation of the roster feels on-the-money. The Knicks have their primary rotation in place. Contrary to last summer, when they traded for Karl-Anthony Towns, nothing they do from here is likely to change it.