Knicks Getting Major Boost From Bench

The New York Knicks have one of the best starting lineups in the NBA with Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns. However, there will be some nights where the quintet isn’t playing up to standard.

That’s why it’s important to have a capable bench that can have players shine whenever needed, like Saturday’s loss against the Utah Jazz.

The Knicks didn’t get the spark they needed from their starting five, so coach Tom Thibodeau relied on the bench, specifically Cam Payne and Jericho Sims, to get a spark for his team.

“We were low energy and I thought that those guys give us energy, they gave us a good boost—sort of got us going. I almost went back to Sims at the end,” Thibodeau said h/t Posting and Toasting. “You’d rather be playing from the lead, I think that’s important. We were chasing all night.”

Sims gave some good minutes while in the game, but Thibodeau really relied on Payne with Mikal Bridges struggling. Thibodeau went with the red-hot Payne over the cold Bridges for the final 10 minutes of the game against the Jazz.

“Obviously, I was struggling, but our biggest thing is to win. Cam [Payne] came in and he was playing well. He was part of that team that was making that run,” Bridges said. “So I was more just frustrated that I couldn’t be out there to help the team and frustrated that the first three quarters I was out there, I couldn’t really do much. But yeah, I understand it. We’re trying to win a game, and that’s all I care about, so I think that was the right decision.”

While it didn’t result in a win, Payne’s contributions haven’t gone unnoticed, and this builds the trust between coach and player as the season rolls along.

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