Knicks See Instant Impact of Bench

The New York Knicks second unit helped lead the team to victory against the Charlotte Hornets.

Jeremy Brener | Oct 7, 2024

May 17, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; New York Knicks guard Miles McBride (2) during game six of the second round for the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

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New York Knicks

The New York Knicks are starting the preseason on the right foot after a 111-109 win against the Charlotte Hornets at the Spectrum Center.

The preseason opener gave Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges the opportunity to make their Knicks debuts, and coach Tom Thibodeau gave the first unit 15 minutes to play together. The starters were outscored by Charlotte, but the bench made up for it as the team pulled off a win, especially Deuce McBride, who scored a game-high 22 points in the victory.

"Those guys play fast and they play hard," Thibodeau said of the second unit. "I thought that Deuce's ball pressure got us going early. We got in that hole early and then that got us going a little bit. Got some easy baskets, those easy baskets are huge for us."

The Knicks' depth took a hit this offseason in the Towns and Bridges trades. However, there is still a lot of talent coming off the bench for New York. This game was proof as to why the team didn't want to trade McBride in either of the deals that brought in Towns or Bridges.

McBride will play a key role throughout the season in setting the second unit up for success and being that prime scorer when Jalen Brunson is on the bench.

Landry Shamet, who is on a non-guaranteed deal and fighting for a roster spot, made a strong impression as well as he scored 16 points while making four 3-pointers. Precious Achiuwa added 15 points of his own, while Cam Payne and Tyler Kolek dropped 11 apiece.

If the Knicks bench can keep contributing like they did against the Hornets, they should be a big help for the team all season long.

The Knicks are back in action for their next game against the Washington Wizards.

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Published Oct 7, 2024

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.