Knicks Coach Shouts Out Six Bench Players After Win

The New York Knicks depth shined in their latest preseason win against the Charlotte Hornets.

Jeremy Brener | 3 Hours Ago

Oct 15, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks guard Tyler Kolek (13) drives past Charlotte Hornets guard Tre Mann (23) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: John Jones-Imagn Images / John Jones-Imagn Images

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New York Knicks

The New York Knicks pulled out a 111-105 victory against the Charlotte Hornets at Madison Square Garden in a game that shined a light on the team's depth.

With Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns all out to rest, the Knicks gave their second unit a chance at extended minutes, to which they did not disappoint coach Tom Thibodeau.

“It’s a good opportunity to get a look at some of those guys and give the bench extended minutes. It’s good from that point," Thibodeau said h/t Posting and Toasting. “Tyler (Kolek) played a terrific game. Pacome (Dadiet) gave us great minutes. Ariel (Hukporti) gave us really good minutes. Precious (Achiuwa) was terrific. Jericho (Sims’) rebounding was excellent. Deuce (McBride) is Deuce."

The Knicks were led by Precious Achiuwa, who scored a team-high 20 points while grabbing 16 rebounds. Rookie Pacome Dadiet added 16 points off the bench while Deuce McBride scored 18 of his own.

The only negative from the night came with Landry Shamet, who exited the game with a knee injury. His status will be revealed in the coming days, but there is a chance that he will miss some time.

After making the trade for Towns just before the start of training camp, there were some concerns in regards to the team's depth, especially after moving on from Donte DiVincenzo. However, the performance against the Hornets has Thibodeau confident in his bench, which will be important as the season rolls along.

If the Knicks bench can continue to excel, it could give the team a completely new ceiling for the year.

The Knicks second and third units will have one last chance to impress Thibodeau when they head to the nation's capital to face off against the Washington Wizards in the final game of the preseason.

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JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.