Knicks Have One Good Problem

The New York Knicks were stripped to the bone during the playoffs last season as injuries ravaged the team throughout the year.

However, assuming everyone returns to good health, the Knicks shouldn’t have that issue this season. They also added Mikal Bridges via trade, and he’s yet to miss a game in his first six NBA seasons.

With the team getting healthy again, it creates an entirely new concern, though this isn’t something to complain about.

“Overall, this rotation conundrum is a good problem to have. The Knicks have more depth. The bench was an issue for the Knicks after the midseason trade to acquire [OG] Anunoby. In that deal, New York lost sixth man Immanuel Quickley. The Knicks finished the regular season ranked last in bench scoring after the trade,” SNY contributor Rafael Canton writes.

“Now, the Knicks have two players worthy of being starters on many teams coming off the bench. In addition, guard Miles McBride has also shown an improved ability to score. It makes for a solid rotation with multiple players on the roster capable of making an impact on both sides of the floor. Thibodeau has more weapons and lineups at his disposal. But having more depth will shine a light on rotation decisions and what lineups he uses.”

It remains to be seen exactly what Thibodeau’s rotation will look like going into the season, but he has time during training camp and the preseason to figure that out. Plus, he’ll likely experiment with a few different lineups throughout the first part of the regular season to ensure he has the optimal combination of players ready to go for the stretch run.

A number of candidates have proven themselves to be capable of giving high-quality minutes late in games, and that does cause a problem for Thibodeau, but it’s one he’d rather have over not being able to play his ideal lineup due to injuries.

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