Knicks Coach Shouts Out Six Bench Players After Win

The New York Knicks pulled out a 111-105 victory against the Charlotte Hornets at Madison Square Garden in a game that shined a light on the team’s depth.

With Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns all out to rest, the Knicks gave their second unit a chance at extended minutes, to which they did not disappoint coach Tom Thibodeau.

“It’s a good opportunity to get a look at some of those guys and give the bench extended minutes. It’s good from that point,” Thibodeau said h/t Posting and Toasting. “Tyler (Kolek) played a terrific game. Pacome (Dadiet) gave us great minutes. Ariel (Hukporti) gave us really good minutes. Precious (Achiuwa) was terrific. Jericho (Sims’) rebounding was excellent. Deuce (McBride) is Deuce.”

The Knicks were led by Precious Achiuwa, who scored a team-high 20 points while grabbing 16 rebounds. Rookie Pacome Dadiet added 16 points off the bench while Deuce McBride scored 18 of his own.

The only negative from the night came with Landry Shamet, who exited the game with a knee injury. His status will be revealed in the coming days, but there is a chance that he will miss some time.

After making the trade for Towns just before the start of training camp, there were some concerns in regards to the team’s depth, especially after moving on from Donte DiVincenzo. However, the performance against the Hornets has Thibodeau confident in his bench, which will be important as the season rolls along.

If the Knicks bench can continue to excel, it could give the team a completely new ceiling for the year.

The Knicks second and third units will have one last chance to impress Thibodeau when they head to the nation’s capital to face off against the Washington Wizards in the final game of the preseason.

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