Knicks Offseason Grade Revealed After Upgrades

The New York Knicks are going into the upcoming season with a bit of a new look.

After firing Tom Thibodeau and replacing him with Mike Brown, the Knicks are likely going to have a larger rotation off the bench. That's what led to the Knicks signing Jordan Clarkson from the Utah Jazz and Guerschon Yabusele from the Philadelphia 76ers.

ESPN analyst Kevin Pelton graded every team's offseason and gave the Knicks a "B" for their signings.

"After adding Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns last offseason, the Knicks had limited room to maneuver this summer," Pelton wrote.

"Getting Guerschon Yabusele to take ever so slightly less than the entirety of their taxpayer midlevel exception allowed New York to upgrade its second-unit frontcourt and still fill out its bench with veterans minimum contracts. One of those veterans, Jordan Clarkson -- signed after reaching a buyout with the Utah Jazz -- gives the Knicks more athleticism off the bench than unsigned backup guards Cameron Payne and Landry Shamet."

The Knicks' Achilles heel over the past few seasons has been a lack of depth. The team ranked dead last in bench points per game last season, so they needed to find more offense that can come in for the second unit.

Clarkson and Yabusele should contribute to that, giving support to Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, among others.

The Knicks' additions off the bench will also take some pressure off of the starters. Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges all ranked in the top five in the league in minutes per game, but with Clarkson and Yabusele in the picture, that isn't likely to repeat itself in the upcoming season.

It remains to be seen if the Knicks' most recent acquisitions will truly move the needle. A lot will have to happen for the Knicks to be better than they were this past season, but the moves suggest that the team is at least trying to improve.

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