In today's NBA, lineup depth is more important than ever, and with the increase in load management and the sudden emergence of injuries, a team's second- and third-tier lineup choices are critical to regular-season and playoff success. Although the Knicks are only affected by the latter, they still allocate a large portion of their salary space this offseason to retain their role players and newly acquired top talent.
Emmanuel Quickley and ObiToping
They should be glad they did. If the starting player is injured or does not perform well in a certain game, having a reliable substitute is very important to maintain the winning rotation. When facing a tougher team, substitute players coming on the pitch can also buy breaks for the starters.
New York has the ability to benefit from these aspects, with last year's bench line-up playing a key role. Considering that the cores of Derrick Rose, Emanuel Quickley, Alec Burks and Obi-Topping remain healthy and energetic, the Knicks' lineup depth will be strong.
However, Quakerley and Topping are likely to take a big step forward in their second season after a rush of rookies. On top of that, if Mitchell Robinson can stay healthy, Noel will be on the bench, but it will also strengthen their penalty area defense.
Rose finished third in the sixth-man vote of the year last season, though he spent most of his time in the Pistons or recuperating from injuries. Heading into a full season with a stronger top-to-bottom point guard rotation under tom Thibodeau, the Knicks should have gotten Rose to a better starter, with his starting level superior to most sixth-man in the league.
Ross
Even digging deeper into the roster, the Knicks have a solid choice: Taj Gibson could be the league's best third-placed backup center. Kevin Knox can shoot 40% from three-point range. Quentin Grimes and Miles McBride are rookies who haven't been trained yet, but getting them involved in the entire team's plans is also a top priority.
There's no doubt the Knicks have a formidable bench and a strong lineup depth on paper, but how do they compare to the rest of the league?
The two giants of the East, the Nets and the Bucks, both have a lot of youngsters who can compete with the New York lads, but don't have their Rose or Noel-level rotation players. The Celtics' benches are basically first- to third-year players, with Josh Richardson and Al Horford stable but not superstars.
The second biggest thing the Knicks will face is likely to be the Atlanta Hawks. They are talented in the centre position, Dean and Okongu and Capela. Space-type flanker Gallinari and Kevin Hunter could also start for many other teams. Their bench point guard rotation of Sharif will depend on Sharif Cooper's rookie year, and of course they will make up for that on the flanks. Cam Redish, Solomon Hill and Timothy Loau-Cabaro are all available as plug-and-play people.
Not to mention, the 76ers already have MVP-level player Embiid, and if Ben Simmons returns, Sherk Milton and Terry Maxi, Matisse Sable and Chuang Shen provide very strong guarantees for the lineup.
The Raptors have one of the most interesting young benches in the league, with names such as Malachi Flynn, Gary Trent Jr., Scotty Barnes and Achuva, but the effectiveness of these young people into actual performance will depend on their development.
The West is still more competitive, but the level gap between the starting and the bench is too large. That gives the Knicks an edge over the Mavericks, Nuggets, Warriors, Lakers, Suns and Trail Blazers. These Western Conference teams have a lot of good players, but overall, their bench players don't meet the requirements.
Notably for the Jazz, Jordan Clarkson and Joe Ingles beat Rose in the best sixth-man competition to finish first and second respectively. Eric Pascal and Rudy Guy may also join the judging as contenders for the new season.
While it's hard to determine how well they've performed this season, it can't be said that the Knicks have a top five bench in the league, after all, they can't rely on just a few second-year players. But in last year's playoffs, they did better than the rest of the team.
Even if their opponents have more frontcourt talent, the Knicks will be able to play well on the West's away teams. If unfortunate, they will be prepared when injuries strike.
Putting these elite benches together will ultimately be a major factor in the team's performance in the 2021-22 season. How far the Knicks can go in the new season, let's wait and see.