1 Thumbs Up, 1 Thumbs Down From Knicks' 1st Preseason Game

The New York Knicks' title defense officially unofficially kicked off with Monday night's 120-97 loss in Philadelphia. Mike Brown played the starting five for much of the first half, which was probably expected. Also true to form: 20 of the 21 Knicks currently under some kind of contract saw action, the only exception being Jose Alvarado, who rested due to a minor bone bruise on his knee.

The Knicks and the 76ers are the two Eastern teams the oddsmakers seem to be the highest on, despite both carrying baggage that works against them. The champions are vying to be the NBA's first repeat winners in nine seasons despite the league's rules designs on making that impossible.

The challengers didn't just change things at the top of the roster; the only Sixers to play last night who were on the team last year were VJ Edgecombe, Jabari Walker and Justin Edwards.

Who stepped up? Who stood out? Time to bust out some thumbs.

Thumbs up: Oh captain, my captain

Countless variables factor into a team's standing. Player development, health, and all the behind-the-scenes human happenings help determine whether a season is a success or a failure. Some variables are subtle. Others are as bright and blaring as the sun. Hello, Jalen Brunson.

Whatever ends up happening with Karl-Anthony Towns' extension talks, Mikal Bridges' aggressiveness or lack thereof, and what growth (if any) we see in youngsters like Mohamed Diawara and Tyler Kolek, the Knicks' biggest barometer of success is their smallest starter. Brunson played the longest season of his life last year, playing through wrist pain that required a relatively minor but late offseason surgery.

Sometimes a surgery's all it takes to dethrone a defending champ. After the 2002 Lakers won their third straight title, After the 1997 season, Chicago's Scottie Pippen needed surgery to repair a ruptured ankle tendon, but seeking a better deal from the Bulls he decided to wait on the procedure until after his summer off. Shaquille O'Neal famously waited until shortly before the start of the 2003 season to have surgery on his toe, reasoning he was hurt while on the clock, so he'd recover while on the clock and not during his vacation days.

Brunson's procedure wasn't considered major, but given how strongly the deck is stacked against defending champs nowadays and with the East expected to be stronger this season, any sign of slippage from him could mean a few fewer regular-season wins, which could mean a lower playoff seed and a tougher road back to the Finals.

Spoiler: no slippage was evident. 15 minutes, a dozen points, a couple of threes, a couple free throws, three assists and no turnovers; Brunson picked up right where he left off the last time he played, his 45-point title clinching effort in Game 5 in San Antonio. Tuesday night he looked as in rhythm as he always does.

Will KAT re-sign? Is OG Anunoby ready to take the leap? Will Josh Hart's mangled right ring finger survive another season? Those are questions no one can answer today. So long as Brunson is as Brunson does, the Knicks will consider their biggest riddle solved.

Thumbs down: It's getting late early at the end of the roster

Almost every Knick reserve did something that stood out last night.

James Wiseman reminded us that any 7-footer with any semblance of skill and athleticism will get the heartrate pumping. Pacome Dadiet knocked down a couple long looks late. Bruce Brown's positional versatility was on display. Jaden Akins showed enough in only eight minutes of play to warrant a longer look next time out.

The one reserve who stood out by not standing out was Ochai Agbaji. It's just one game, but whereas Akins had three assists in his eight minutes, including a lovely dime to Tony Bradley finishing off a fast break, Agbaji's eight minutes were not his best.

He missed a couple wide-open corner three and another longball to boot. That was all that stood out, really, but players fighting for the last one or two roster spots—and nearly 30% of the roster is—can't afford too many outings where their most striking statistic is a goose egg from the field.

Honorable mention: Poor Ariel

New York sports fans don't often empathize with their neighbors to the south, but both fan bases and teams were saddened at the sight of Ariel Hukporti going down with a non-contact injury to his right Achilles in the first quarter.

Hukporti played for the Knicks the two years prior. He showed promise as an efficient scoring big man who made his presence felt on the glass and protecting the rim, never more meaningful than a blocked shot from him in San Antonio as the Knicks closed out the Finals.

He signed with Philadelphia this offseason, giving him his first real shot at earning the backup center spot; given Embiid's injury history, Hukporti was looking forward to probable career-highs in minutes and every other category.

Now he's stuck facing a possible season-ending injury, while the Sixers are likely to start scouring the same big-man bargain bin the Knicks have been combing through. LeBron didn't leave his family to chase a title behind Embiid's descent into a brokedown palace backed up by Adem Bona and Tacko Fall.

If Wiseman or Drew Eubanks don't latch on with New York, they may be getting a call from last night's opposition.

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