The New York Knicks came out flat against the Washington Wizards in their fourth preseason game on Monday. The starters rested in this game, but the bench did not provide any spark whatsoever, as they were crushed 120-103.
The Knicks’ bench got crushed by the Wizards
The game was a blowout from start to finish, as New York simply gave up way too many open threes and didn’t match the intensity on offense. The Knicks found themselves down by 36 at one point in this game, and while it is only preseason, a performance as bad as that one is still discouraging.
Head coach Mike Brown didn’t mince words when describing the loss on Monday, as he expressed clear disappointment in the guys who played.
“Our starters did not bring the energy,” Brown said via SNY. “This is probably a worse basketball game overall and we did it in spurts.”
The Knicks looked lifeless immediately from the opening tip, which is more concerning given that Washington was playing in the second half of a back-to-back and rested some starters as well. CJ McCollum, Khris Middleton, and Alex Sarr didn’t play in this game.
The Knicks’ bench was very discouraging
The bench unit for the Knicks was retooled this summer to provide more depth. While they showed some good stretches in the first three preseason games, they showed a lot of their flaws in this game.
Guerschon Yabusele, in particular, struggled. To his credit, he was playing out of position at center after Ariel Hukporti was ruled out due to an illness, but the time he was seen at center was not pretty. It’s safe to say that the Knicks are a bit undersized in the second unit.
Of course, the team won’t look this bad when the regulars are back in, but it would’ve been ideal to see the bench unit deliver a stronger overall performance. They will have one last chance to bounce back before the regular season starts next week, as they will wrap up the preseason on Friday against the Charlotte Hornets.