The New York Knicks knew they were going to be shorthanded coming into Sunday’s game against the Miami Heat. Miles McBride (personal reasons) and Mitchell Robinson (load management) both sat the game out, so the rest of the bench was going to need to step up with their top options out.
Knicks’ bench cannot keep up with Heat’s bench on Sunday
Unfortunately, the bench gave the Knicks virtually no insurance and was the biggest culprit behind them suffering their first loss of the season at the hands of the Heat.
The bench unit, which consisted of Tyler Kolek, Josh Hart, Jordan Clarkson, Landry Shamet, and Guerschon Yabusele, mightily struggled. They scored just 21 points combined compared to the Heat’s 44 bench points.
Additionally, the bench largely contributed to the team’s three-point woes Sunday. The bench was just 1-for-18 from three, with Kolek being the only bench player to make a three. Overall, the team shot 15-for-54 from beyond the arc, and it is hard to win games when shooting at that inefficient a mark.
The Knicks are experiencing growing pains on the offensive end
Part of new head coach Mike Brown’s scheme was to involve the bench more and get more three-point shots up. While he has been able to achieve both things so far, the growing pains are apparent.
The team is clearly still adjusting to the new style of offense, which includes a much quicker pace and more ball movement. The process of creating clean looks has been on point, but the results via made baskets have been coming up short of what they want.
Luckily, it is still early in the season, and they will eventually get both McBride and Robinson back on the court and provide the insurance needed. Nevertheless, the others need to step up if they wish to make a deep run at a championship in the spring.