Tom Thibodeau Downplays Knicks' Bench Scoring Woes

The New York Knicks could use some relief from their relief.

It has been generally accepted that the Knicks are a top-heavy team, having bid farewell to depth stars like Bojan Bogdanovic, Donte DiVincenzo, and Immanuel Quickley to form their current unit. But the Knicks' lack of depth scoring has become particularly glaring as the team has hit a late-season swoon that could derail postseason momentum.

Entering Friday play, the Knicks (43-26) receive just under 95 points a game from their starters, tops in the NBA. But the bench has failed to live up to its end of the scoring bargain: the Knicks are dead-last in the NBA in points from reserves, averaging just 21.4 — nearly five full points behind their closest competitor (LA Lakers).

Stefan Bondy: "When the bench only has really 7 points, how difficult is that to win?"

Thibs: "I don't wanna put it on the bench. It was all of us…Margin of error's tight, back-to-back, have to get it done with your defense & rebounding, & we didn't. That's where we fell short" pic.twitter.com/kBGtLSFUQ7
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) March 21, 2025

Nonetheless, Tom Thibodeau downplayed the struggles of the second unit in the somber aftermath of the Knicks' latest defeat, a 115-98 decision against the lowly Charlotte Hornets on Thursday.

"I don't want to put it on the bench. It was everbody, it was all of us," Thibodeau said (h/t New York Basketball on X). "You win together, you lose together. Our margin of error's tight. We're on a back-to-back and you have to get it done with your defense & rebounding and we didn't. That's where we fell short."

While that's a fair assessment — the Knicks lost the rebounding battle by 14 and allowed Charlotte to sink 15 three-pointers — bench issues were particularly glaring in the last two games, even if the Thursday absence of Mitchell Robinson and the necessary promotion of Miles McBride (starting in place of the injured Jalen Brunson) are taken into account.

In Charlotte, the Knicks' second unit was held scoreless through the first three periods before Cameron Payne and Precious Achiuwa united for seven before New York waved the white flag. In comparison, Nick Smith Jr. had 13 points alone for Charlotte, which had five different men in double-figures.

Mar 20, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau reacts to a call during the first quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The loss to the Hornets came less than 24 hours after the Knicks were giving a damning depth lesson: San Antonio Spurs reserve Sandro Mamukelashvili put up a shocking 34-point effort in a 120-105 triumph over the Knicks, needing only 19 minutes to do so.

Nonetheless, Thibodeau's comments don't hint at any sort of change, even as some beg the Knicks to give rookies like Tyler Kolek a chance. Thibodeau has remained steadfastly committed to a rotation maxed out at nine (with Landry Shamet joining Achiuwa, Payne, and Robinson), even as Brunson continues to work his way back from an ankle ailment sustained earlier this month.

The best news one can offer from the Knicks' disastrous road trip is that there are 13 more chances to get things right before the postseason, starting with Saturday's visit from the Washington Wizards (8 p.m. ET, MSG).

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