While it has been an adjustment period for players on the New York Knicks in the new system, head coach Mike Brown is also learning what he has in the players at his disposal.
Knicks’ Mike Brown makes big rotation adjustment
Sunday against the Chicago Bulls featured a slightly different look, rotation-wise, for the Knicks. After deepening the bench and playing as many as 11 guys in the first five games, he shortened the rotation to about nine players, with Guerschon Yabusele playing just two minutes as the 10th man.
Tyler Kolek, who was a regular in the rotation to begin the season, appeared only in garbage time on Sunday. Ariel Hukporti, who has started two games this season, logged his second straight DNP and third of the season.
Brown said after Sunday’s game that he wants to improve his rotations and ensure that it is more consistent than they have been to begin the season.
“I have to do a better job, and I thought I did tonight, of trying to have a rotation and stick with it, while still playing 9.5, 10 guys,” Brown said, via SNY.
Brown is figuring out his rotation in full form
Brown used the first five games to experiment with what rotations work best. Along the way, some glaring flaws were exposed for the Knicks, particularly with the bench unit.
The bench had been struggling mightily to score points, and they constantly had breakdowns on both ends of the floor. That changed on Sunday against the Bulls with a shorter rotation, as the bench contributed 46 points and was a key factor in them snapping their losing streak.
Players like Jordan Clarkson tend to thrive with more minutes, and that showed on Sunday. He cashed in 15 points with three three-pointers made, turning in his best performance as a Knick so far this season.
It’s unclear whether or not Brown will re-insert some players into the rotation, but he seems to be slowly figuring out who will be the main pieces going forward.