The New York Knicks entered the season opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers down two key rotation pieces. Mitchell Robinson (load management) and Josh Hart (back) both sat the game out while they rest their injuries.
Knicks’ Mike Brown uses 11 players in season opener
Therefore, it became next man up off rip for New York, a big test for head coach Mike Brown in his regular season Knicks debut. Brown wasted no time getting a good look at everyone, as he wound up playing 11 different guys for solid stretches of time in the season opener.
Additionally, only one starter played more than 34 minutes, which was OG Anunoby, at 38 minutes. Five of the six bench players who played also played at least 10 minutes, including 14 each from Tyler Kolek and Landry Shamet, who were both uncertain to be in the rotation.
Trey Jemison even saw the floor briefly as well, as he recorded eight minutes off the bench as the backup to Ariel Hukporti, who got the start in place of Robinson. The deep usage of the bench was a significant departure from Tom Thibodeau’s tendencies, as he typically avoided using the back end of the bench.
The deep bench helped contribute to a win
The use of the reinforcements ended up paying off, as New York was able to defeat Cleveland 119-111 to begin the season. Despite being shorthanded, the other guys came through and stepped up in a big way to earn a statement win.
“I truly believe this deep is a deep team. You give Leon Rose and this group a lot of credit for it. It’s my job to keep trying to find combinations out on the floor that work,” Brown said after the game (h/t SNY).
It is unclear if Brown will continue to use that deep a rotation moving forward, or if he will trim it down to nine or 10 guys. Nevertheless, it is still encouraging to see him use as many options as possible and be confident in the bench he has at his disposal.
The Knicks’ next game is set for Friday against the Boston Celtics in a playoff rematch at Madison Square Garden.