Biggest Storylines Coming Out of Knicks' Preseason Loss to Timberwolves

The New York Knicks close their preseason with a back-to-back, losing the first end 122-104 last night to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Their final exhibition is tonight in Toronto. Expect the reserves to get all the minutes they can handle, as Mike Brown has already said the starters won't play and can decide if they even want to travel.

Here are three storylines from last night's game.

Wingstop can't stop, won't stop

In last year's playoffs, the Knicks unveiled a Karl-Anthony Towns-led new look on offense. The league had no answer, though undoubtedly teams have conjured approaches to try this season. How can New York stay ahead of the curve? Continued diversity, this time via OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges.

Anunoby has been noticeably more aggressive looking for his own offense this preseason, draining all six of his free throws last night and getting to the line 17 times in 55 minutes. In the first half he found himself in a cross-match with Rudy Gobert, took him off the dribble and then took a long stepback into a corner 3. Of note was the force with which OG executed the move; the stepback was as hard a stomp as the one that killed Rumpelstiltskin.

Later Anunoby took a steal the length of the floor, went up for the slam and was fouled hard by Ayo Dosunmu. You could tell from his immediate reaction he wasn't thrilled with the contact -- there were some Pete Rose/Ray Fosse vibes -- but in a few moments he, Dosunmu, the other Knicks and even the ref were all smiles. If Anunoby maintains that aggression this season, the Knicks will be grinning from ear to ear.

Bridges has also shown more on-ball chops, in particular running pick-and-rolls as the ballhandler. In the first quarter he was able to use that action to blow by Jaden McDaniels and set up Andre Drummond for a baseline look the big man missed. Bridges had more success running the same action in the second half with Towns, leading to a lovely lead pass the big man was able to finish. He and Anunoby have been leading more plays the first few games. That will matter when they reach the last games.

When the playoffs roll around, Tyrese Maxey, Donovan Mitchell and Tyrese Haliburton don't want to be expending any more energy on defense than they have to. Moving them off Jalen Brunson to guard Bridges might have been a bit of an option before, when he's mostly existed as a kickout option for 3 or someone who only attacks off of closeouts. If the best defense is a good offense, then making Bridges and OG more offensive-minded should only strengthen what's already a great defense.

The league may not see as much of OG and Bridges running plays from now until the playoffs, but safe to say when the Knicks decide to throw in a new wrinkle, it'll start with one of their wings.

Too little, too late? Or just enough, just in time?

The Knicks are either going to keep one veteran from their royal rumble competition or, should they trade someone on a guaranteed deal, two vets. That's why Pacome Dadiet has been their leader or among their leaders in minutes played this preseason. Has he done enough to make New York keep him around another season? Or shown enough that someone else would trade for him in his walk year? If last night is anything to go by, maybe yes.

The numbers won't wow: seven points, one rebound, one assist. But a closer look shows a youngster who left it all out there, all any team can ask of any player. In the early going Dadiet caught a low swing pass from Bridges, went into his shooting motion with no hesitation and swished a 3. Later he accepted the challenge of guarding Anthony Edwards to close the opening frame and acquitted himself well, forcing Ant into a tough miss at the buzzer.

Caught in a couple cross-matches with the heftier Trey Lyles in the second quarter, Dadiet worked to box the bigger man out. Later he used his dribble to blow by Lyles and draw a shooting foul. Maybe Dadiet's most impressive sequence came when he grabbed a defensive rebound against Gobert, dribbled down the floor and drilled another 3.

It's gotten harder and harder to envision Dadiet lasting the year as a Knick, much less having a role on the team after. Bruce Brown seems the most qualified wing among those auditioning. But two things Brown can't do are grow five inches taller and nine years younger. Maybe the Knicks see something in Dadiet they haven't the past few years, and he earns the right to stay and fight for minutes. Maybe someone else has seen enough to want Dadiet for themselves.

All the player can do is put his best foot forward. Last night, Dadiet did.

Sometimes, bigger is better

It's rare, even in the NBA, to see a teenager with a man's body. Every now and then the league welcomes a LeBron James or a Dwight Howard, a kid in the frame of a fully-grown adult. Joan Beringer of the Wolves is like that: 19 years old, pushing 7 feet and 250 pounds. Sometimes—oftentimes—what's big stands out because it's big. Whether that be a whopper, a car or a person.

Tony Bradley may not make the Knicks roster. James Wiseman didn't play last night, which could have been so Bradley and Drew Eubanks had the stage to themselves but also could've been because the coaches have already seen enough from Wiseman to know they like him. He's bigger than Bradley and Eubanks, with an offensive ceiling neither nears. Wiseman was the second pick in the 2020 draft. Bradley went 28th three years prior. Eubanks wasn't drafted. Do the math.

But Bradley has eight years of experience under his belt. That probably means something to a team that has little room for prospects on a boat sailing straight for a second straight championship, especially since Bradley had the experience of playing on a Pacers side that reached Game 7 of the Finals two years ago. Having a 7-foot-5 wingspan can't hurt any.

He only played seven minutes last night, though he was productive, taking and making five shots in that span. Impossible to say whether that made a difference to the decision-makers—nobody expects Bradley to shoot 100% from the floor, or Eubanks to make a habit of the running jump hook he busted out last night, but neither's offense is their selling point. Nor is either a project; at 28 and 29, respectively, they're in their prime.

Bradley is bigger than Eubanks and more of a known quantity than Wiseman. Eubanks is more limited than the youngster, but also more defined. In the end, neither of those qualities may matter as much as the dreams the Knicks have for him—and themselves.

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