The New York Knicks have limped out to a 2-3 record to start the season, and their lack of bench production has been a major reason as to why.
Over the offseason, the team supposedly beefed up its second unit by bringing in Jordan Clarkson, Guerschon Yabusele, and bringing back sharpshooter Landry Shamet. So far the results have been very poor for the Knicks’ second unit.
So far this season, the Knicks are averaging just 22.2 points per game off the bench, on just 31.9 percent shooting from the floor, and 29.2 percent from beyond the arc. The team’s lack of depth has bedeviled them in the past, and so far continues to rear its ugly head this year.
After the Knicks 135-125 loss to the Chicago Bulls on Friday, in which the Knicks’ bench shot just 6 for 22 from the field, head coach Mike Brown reassured his confidence in the team’s depth going forward despite the slow start.
“I thought Landry had great looks. I thought Deuce had great looks. I thought Jordan had decent looks,” Brown said, per The Athletic’s James L. Edwards III. “We have to give it time before I'm too worried about it.”
It is still early in the season, but the Knicks’ bench will need to figure it out soon, otherwise their offseason will have largely been a waste, and they’ll be faced with the same issues that have halted them in the past.
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