Projecting Knicks' Depth Chart, Rotation After 2024 NBA Free Agency
NBA free agency has been kind of a dud for the New York Knicks.
Maybe even a disappointment, honestly.
It's just that the Knicks made their massive moves ahead of free agency, so no one has really noticed the lack of activity. When your team acquires Mikal Bridges and re-signs OG Anunoby, it's hard to fret too much about which players not re-signing (yes, even ones as helpful as Isaiah Hartenstein).
New York looks different from the last time we saw it. Dramatically different, actually, when accounting for the players who will be coming off of injuries. To help highlight those differences, let's make our projections for the depth chart and rotation as things stand.
Depth Chart
Point Guard
Jalen Brunson
Miles McBride
Tyler Kolek
Cameron Payne
Shooting Guard
Mikal Bridges
Donte DiVincenzo
Small Forward
OG Anunoby
Pacôme Dadiet
Power Forward
Julius Randle
Josh Hart
Keita Bates-Diop
Center
Mitchell Robinson
Jericho Sims
Rotation
Barring a philosophical change in approach from coach Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks might have more players than rotation spots.
Even running with a nine-man rotation will leave some capable contributors out in the cold. Three of those bench spots would go to Josh Hart, Donte DiVincenzo and probably Miles McBride (though there's plenty congestion at point guard). A fourth would belong to whichever backup big New York signs to support oft-injured starter Mitchell Robinson.
You know who doesn't get floor time in that scenario? Tyler Kolek, whom the Knicks traded up to get at No. 34, for one. He is one of the more polished prospects in this rookie class, and he looked the part at summer league. Still, if there are only nine openings, he'd have to unseat McBride to claim one.
That also excludes Cameron Payne, who's just a single season removed from averaging double-digit points and 20-plus minutes. Rock-solid players are going to have sit out, though, barring some kind of consolidation deal.
What's Left to Sort Out
The Knicks don't have a backup big man behind Mitchell Robinson. And that's kind of a big deal when the big fella has fought the injury bug often enough that he's reached the 70-game mark in only one of his six NBA seasons.
This isn't meant as a slight to Jericho Sims, who has a Robinson-esque blend of size and bounce. It's just that Sims hasn't logged 900 minutes in a season and only topped 600 minutes once. The Knicks might need more insurance than he can offer. This position group could get dicey if they're unable to convince Precious Achiuwa to re-sign.
Staying in the frontcourt, it will be fascinating to see where Julius Randle finds his fit on this revamped roster. He was hurt shortly after OG Anunoby's arrival and obviously hasn't seen action alongside Mikal Bridges. Is there still a place for Randle's creation, secondary playmaking and isolation scoring within the 'Nova Knicks?
The minutes tally given to Randle, Robinson and Josh Hart could reveal plenty about the style of basketball this team wants to play.