The price of going big game for Bridges and Towns in one offseason is that they have almost no bench depth. Especially with the loss of Isaiah Hartenstein in free agency and Mitchell Robinson missing next season with an injury, they look extremely short and unprepared.
Precious Achiuwa’s injury for the next two to four weeks will be a significant loss. It’s hard to imagine who will replace Towns and OG Anunoby in the frontcourt, as Jericho Sims is tested on defense. Ariel Hukporti is a project player who showed glimpses of his high potential in the preseason. Towns is at his best next to a rim-protecting big in Rudy Gobert . Leon Rose made a costly mistake by not replacing Hartenstein in free agency.
This bench will be a concern because it could be a slippery slope. Thibodeau will likely overuse his starters early this season to compensate for the weak bench; potentially, that’s a problem waiting to happen. Last year, the Knicks ranked 27th in bench scoring, and they could rank even lower this season.
It’s possible Josh Hart could start off the bench soon to bolster the second unit. However, it’s unclear who would start in that case. Draftee Pacome Dadiet had a solid preseason, scoring 16 points against the Hornets. However, he’s still a project.
Miles McBride makes sense as a starter; he’ll take a big step forward as a 3&D off-guard. Improve the frontcourt defense and they could then run Hart as a second unit. McBride scored 22 points in the Knicks’ season opener, perhaps opening the door for him to start in Hart’s place. The downside is that having two undersized guards together will lead to size inconsistencies that they’ll have a hard time overcoming. There are no automatic answers with this bench.
Other bench options include Tyler Kolek and Cam Payne. Olek could become a steal of the draft if he cracks the rotation. The main concern is that this Knicks team is built to go all the way, but they don’t have the depth to do so. They have as good a starting five as any, but a bench that’s as weak as it gets.
Trading DiVincenzo is too expensive
Here’s where they’ll miss Donte DiVincenzo. After breaking the franchise three-point record in his first season, he carried the team on his shoulders in the playoffs with his smooth shot. He played tough defense and was the heart of the team. He broke through screens and ran in transition. Also, by the way, all things they didn’t do against Boston. Also, (and this is huge), he never gets hurt. Considering OG Anunoby’s fragile injury record, that’s worth noting. It seems absurd that the Knicks caved and put his name in the Towns talks so late. They’ll definitely regret not finding another route to acquire Towns.