Something feels off about the New York Knicks right now. The season is barely underway, but there’s already a sense of confusion — like a team trying to learn a new language mid-conversation. Mike Brown’s system, both offensively and defensively, is still a work in progress, and the Knicks are struggling to keep up.
The growing pains were on full display in their third straight loss Friday night against the Chicago Bulls, a 135-point defensive meltdown that exposed how disconnected this group currently looks. The bench, which has been reinforced, looks entirely out of sync.
Guerschon Yabusele struggling to find his place
One of the biggest question marks early on is forward Guerschon Yabusele, the team’s two-year, $12 million investment in free agency. The Knicks expected him to provide energy, versatility, and some toughness off the bench. Instead, he’s looked uncomfortable, and Brown admitted he’s still figuring out how to use him.
“He may play a whole bunch of minutes at times, he may play a few, he may not play at all,” Brown said. “And that’s part of what our guys have to accept before we figure out what we want to do.”
It’s not exactly a ringing endorsement, and Yabusele’s numbers tell the story. He’s averaging just two points over 11.3 minutes per game, shooting .231 from the field while grabbing 3.5 rebounds. He was benched against Chicago because Brown wanted more defenders who could switch on screens — something Yabusele has struggled to do effectively.
That’s left him in basketball limbo, caught between trying to adapt to a new system and playing outside of his comfort zone. Offensively, he’s been marginalized, rarely getting touches in rhythm, which only compounds the problem.
The bench’s collapse raises bigger concerns
Yabusele isn’t the only one trying to find his footing. Veteran guard Jordan Clarkson, expected to be a spark plug off the bench, has also gone cold. He’s averaging just 6.8 points per game and shooting .324 from the field — numbers well below what the Knicks envisioned when they added him to boost scoring depth.
Even Clarkson has admitted there’s been a sizable learning curve adjusting to Brown’s system. That might be the most telling part of all this — players aren’t just missing shots; they’re unsure of where to be or what’s coming next.
For a team that prided itself on toughness and chemistry in recent years, that kind of uncertainty can be dangerous. The Knicks are playing hesitant basketball, caught between instincts and instruction, and the result is chaos on both ends of the court.
The growing pains are real — but how long will they last?
Mike Brown’s message is clear: patience. He’s not panicking yet, and in fairness, it’s still early. But there’s only so much patience that can exist in New York. The fans expect results, and if the bench continues to underperform, Brown may be forced to shake up the rotation sooner than he’d like.
Yabusele’s development will be one of the early tests of this new coaching era — can Brown unlock his potential, or will he fade into another forgotten experiment? The answer might tell us just how quickly this version of the Knicks can turn potential into something real.