How The New York Knicks New Additions Help Them

The New York Knicks are going all in. Following an injury riddled playoff run that saw them fall to the Indiana Pacers in 7 games, the Knicks have spent the offseason bolstering an already elite squad. Not only did they add Mikal Bridges, they also traded for All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns. With these two moves they have created a roster that fits with each other very well, and covers up some of the issues that they have had previously.

In order to acquire Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets, the Knicks sent Bojan Bogdanovic, Shake Milton, Mamadi Diakite, 4 unprotected first round picks, an unprotected pick swap, a top-four protected first round pick. This is no doubt a lot of draft capital for Bridges, but what he brings to the team can not be understated. Firstly, Mikal Bridges is a tremendous and versatile defender that can guard multiple positions. Although his defense wasn’t quite at the level of his 2021-22 All-Defense campaign, it was still good. With a reduced offensive role compared to his role in Brooklyn it would be no surprise if his defense were to pick up and return to its previous highs. His usage rate last season was 23.8% which was a career high, and it was clear that he was a bit overextended in his offensive role.

Bridges’ Defense

The Knicks were 9th in defense last season and the addition of Bridges will no doubt improve this. Bridges is naturally a small forward but his defense really shines and stands out at the point of attack. His lateral quickness allows him to slide his feet with the best guards in the NBA and his understanding of angles allows him to be a true pest defensively. His screen navigation also stands out as he has shown a knack for sliding past them and staying glued to ball handlers. Bridges’ frame is not best used against the bigger wings in the league but the Knicks have other defenders who can take those defensive matchups away from Bridges. Not only is his defense good on the ball, he is also quite adept at off ball defense. Bridges’ skill when it pertains to switching and helping out his teammates on defense is elite, and his size allows him to really mess up the other team’s actions. Bridges is joining a Knicks team that will also have OG Anunoby and Josh Hart in the starting lineup, so the defensive versatility and skill level will be high. These are three players who can switch through multiple positions, and can effectively cover for Jalen Brunson on defense.

How Bridges Fits Offensively

Offensively, Bridges is a seamless fit in the New York Knicks offense as he has extensive experience playing off the ball and is quite skilled at it. This past season in Brooklyn Bridges averaged 19.6 points per game, 4.5 rebounds per game, and 3.6 assists per game while shooting 37% from three and 43% from the field and 56% true shooting. It wasn’t an extremely efficient season from Bridges but there are many things in his offensive repertoire that will be a massive help to the Knicks. The Knicks offensive scheme revolves around Jalen Brunson creating advantages for his teammates with the ball in his hands and this often happens with minimal off ball movement. With the addition of Bridges, you can now add more off ball movement into the offensive scheme because he cuts so well and shoots off the ball so well. Last season Bridges shot 38.3% on catch and shoot 3 point attempts so he will be a very useful floor spacer for Brunson or anyone else’s actions.

Despite being the lead offensive player in Brooklyn, 67.4% of Bridges’ jump shots were assisted, and 61.5% of his layups were assisted. Bridges was proficient at attacking closeouts, cutting backdoor for layups, he is also an effective movement shooter. Bridges shot 40.8% from mid range and he can get to this shot both off the catch and off the dribble. The places where Bridges struggles offensively such as getting to the rim off the dribble, or shooting threes off the dribble won’t be as glaring since his offensive role will be reduced on the Knicks. Bridges’ two way impact on the Knicks will definitely strengthen their chances at beating the elite teams in the east such as Boston and Philadelphia.

The most recent of the Knicks moves was trading for Towns in a late offseason blockbuster trade. The Knicks sent out a package of Julius Randle, Donte Divencenzo, and a Detroit Pistons first round pick in order to bring Towns to the big apple. For a player of Towns skill level this package was a no brainer for New York and definitely improves their team.

Negatives of the Towns Trade

There are both pros and cons to this move, as there are with many transactions in the NBA. The biggest con though is Town’s deficiencies on the defensive end. Town’s lack of vertical pop, strength, and just overall quickness and skill as a paint protector is what causes him to often be taken advantage of there. Minnesota had Towns hedging pick and rolls and just playing more on the perimeter defensively in an attempt to soften the blow of these issues, and at times it proved effective, largely due to the presence of Rudy Gobert as a safety valve. Although the Knicks do not have Gobert, they have other high level defenders such as Hart, Anunoby, Bridges, and Precious Achiuwa who can help Towns around the rim as help defenders. Anunoby is used to guarding bigger players and he can take some of the load away from Towns and even take the center matchup on certain nights. Hart, Anunoby, and Bridges all are adept off ball defenders as well and have the ability to rotate help in areas where Towns will need help which will likely be at the rim The Knicks are one of the few teams with the defensive infrastructure to house Towns and although it may be a challenge they have the players to get it done.

Another con is that this deal hurts the Knicks depth. With this trade being completed it will likely cause Hart to be inserted into the starting lineup leaving few productive bench players left. Robinson is out for a couple of months soDeuce McBride and Achiuwa are the two best bench players and after those two it gets hairy. Cam Payne could potentially give you spot minutes but overall the bench is very thin and will likely remain that way for the entire season. If Tom Thibodeau can properly stagger the minutes of the starters then 2-3 of them will always be on the floor and the lack of a bench won’t be felt as much. But if injuries were to occur then the lack of a bench would truly be felt.

Positives of the Towns Trade

The positives of this trade far outweigh the negatives. For starters, Towns’ fit with this team is great and his presence will allow them to do many new things offensively. Last season Towns finished with averages of 21.8 points per game, 8.3 rebounds per game and 3 assists per game while shooting 50% from the field, and a staggering 41% from three on 5.3 attempts per game on 62% true shooting. He also shot 42.8% on catch and shoot threes. Towns’ three point shooting will provide immense spacing for the Knicks to run their actions and it will drag opposing centers out of the paint which makes life easier on offense for everyone. Towns can also be used in off ball actions as well, although he is a center you can call pin down or curl screens in order to free him up for a jump shot and this option will surely stretch defenses out. With them now being able to feasibly run a five out offense this allows Brunson more space to work with, simplifies his reads, and really stresses the defense. Not only does it help out Brunson but it will allow Bridges and Anunoby to have more space for their self creation attempts as well.

Towns can also be utilized in a similar manner that Isaiah Hartenstein was when it pertains to being a handoff hub. Towns can use his gravity on handoffs in order to get his teammates downhill, and he is more of a threat to keep the handoff and use it to create for himself. Towns’ passing skill is quite good for a big man in the sense that he can make highly difficult ones, and his post skill will help him as a playmaker for the Knicks.

Towns’ self creation is also proficient, as he can attack the rim off the dribble, and use his size and touch to dominate in the post. Last season Towns averaged 1.07 points per possession on 2.7 post-ups per game. With there being so many players around him who can shoot, Towns will be able to have more space for his post up possessions and if a team does decide to dig on his post ups, Towns has the ability to make the pass from wherever the defense helps from.

Conclusion

It has been an extremely busy off season for the New York Knicks and they have really shown that they are going all in on their quest for their first NBA championship since 1973.When you have the opportunity to get this elite collection of players together you do it, and the Knicks have made the right decision They have put together arguably the best starting lineup in the NBA and it is filled with players that are not only talented, but complement each other very well. A lineup of Brunson, Hart, Bridges, Anunoby, and Towns can go up against any other lineup in the league and has very little flaws. This core has more than enough talent on both ends of the floor to really challenge the other elite teams for the title and potentially win it.