Knicks' Bench Embrace Predicted to Propel Finals Push

The New York Knicks haven't wowed anyone who's only just started counting wins and losses.

Since 2025 turned to 2026, the Knicks have captured just two victories out of their six matchups, with three of those defeats arriving at a few telling opponents. Their former rival in the Atlanta Hawks exposed how limited their playmaking squadron is outside of Jalen Brunson, their eternal big market rival in the Philadelphia 76ers punched the Knicks while they were down and the Detroit Pistons handily won to consolidate their top eastern seed.

Three straight losses, each to challengers within the conference that the Knicks were expected to run through.

Even after they seem to have regained a bit of control, finally inviting Josh Hart back from his several weeks-long injury rehab, their process is passing a lot of the checkpoints that evaluators want to see in trusted contenders. No difference between their method of operation since handing the coaching keys to Mike Brown has been as dramatic as their sudden trust in a deeper rotation, and that's made their road to surpassing last season's finish look that much more realistic.

"The mandate was clear from the beginning: The days of every Knicks starter being in the top 20 in minutes is over," ESPN's Vincent Goodwill wrote. "Hart led the league in that category last season, while Bridges was third and OG Anunoby was fifth. This season, only Brunson and Bridges average around 35 minutes."

New York Knicks Guard Jalen Brunson, Forward Mikal Bridges and Guard Josh Hart — Feb 8, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks assistant coach Rick Brunson talks with New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11), forward Mikal Bridges (25), and guard Josh Hart (3) during a timeout in the third quarter against the Boston Celtics at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

"The plan is to be fresher in the later playoff rounds, especially as more will be called for from the prime-time players. The Knicks were worn out by the Pacers' high-octane offense in last season's conference finals, unable to hold leads as they squandered a chance to reach the Finals. That series wound up costing Thibodeau his job. It could also serve as the Knicks' greatest teaching moment, should this season's fortunes turn in their favor."

Putting Lessons into Practice

The Knicks have put Brown in a position to succeed by attempting to buy him a few sparkly bench options, notably providing him with the necessary spark plug-shooter in Jordan Clarkson. And even though Guerschon Yabusele hasn't worked out as the stretch-big they were hoping for, he's tried harder to integrate the recent draft picks into the rotation than his predecessor ever did, and that's already resulted in some positive results.

None of Tyler Kolek, Mohamed Diawara, Kevin McCullar Jr. or Ariel Hukporti have established themselves as full-time rotational necessities yet, but they each serve specific roles that Brown can tap into whenever he calls their names from down the bench. He knows that when he needs a little more playmaking juice, help on the boards or just another hustling effort guy, he has the personnel to give him a chance at seeing his vision through.

That fringe help is there to back up the eight or nine guys that Brown's comfortable deploying on a regular basis, easing the deeper-cut reserves from having to meet the same high stakes that the starters deal with whenever they check into games. And so long as they continue helping in the margins, the Knicks still have a shot to contend in the wide-open conference.

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