NEW ORLEANS — It’s not quite what the Knicks envisioned when they put this bench together, but it doesn’t matter if it works.
With Guerschon Yabusele punted to DNP status and roaming the trade block — and with Pacôme Dadiet, the franchise’s only first-round pick still on the roster, disappearing from Mike Brown’s famous minutes sheet — the Knicks are leaning on other youngsters to fill the holes created by injuries.
Kevin McCullar Jr. was the latest to get the call in Saturday’s win over the Hawks, when he logged 23 impactful minutes defending and hounding Trae Young (who continued his miserable season with just nine points).
McCullar, a second-round pick in 2024, served as Josh Hart’s stunt double — flashing a Hart-like stat line with 13 points, eight rebounds and a successful dive after a loose ball. It’s relevant moving forward because Hart is missing at least the next two games, including Monday at New Orleans, with an ankle sprain.
McCullar earned more minutes than his projection because he was hitting shots and bottling up Atlanta’s guards.
Young, the former villain at MSG, went scoreless when defended by McCullar.
“[McCullar] was scheduled on my little minutes sheet to come in at the 8-minute mark of the first quarter. I was going to throw him on Trae just to see what happens,” coach Mike Brown said. “Kev’s a young, really good defender, has a great feel on both ends of the floor, but especially that end of the floor. I wanted to give him a chance. I threw him out there a few minutes and he was fantastic. So, he just earned more minutes. I didn’t have him down for that many minutes, but he definitely earned those minutes as the game went along.”
If McCullar indeed proves reliable, Brown’s bench circle of trust has grown to include the following:
- Miles McBride (who has missed the past eight games with an ankle sprain but could return Monday).
- Mitchell Robinson (arguably the best offensive rebounder in the NBA).
- Jordan Clarkson (has played as advertised, running hot and cold).
- Tyler Kolek (improved defense allowing him more playing time and opportunities to flash playmaking).
- Mohamed Diawara (a rookie with an impressive wingspan and defensive ceiling who is slowly figuring out how to not mess up the offense).
- Landry Shamet (has missed over a month with a shoulder injury but remains hopeful for a return next month).
- McCullar (a fun comeback story after his senior season in college and rookie NBA campaign were derailed by a knee injury)
“That’s what having a team is about,” Brown said. “I feel confident in all our guys. McBride has been out for a while, Landry has been out, so we’ve got to go to the next man.
“Josh is out now with the ankle, so we’ve got to go to the next man. We just want guys to give us what they’re capable of. We don’t want them to go outside their box, but we just want them to give us hard minutes the time that they’re on the floor.”
Brown deserves credit for experimenting with different lineups and players, instilling confidence and important reps in the process. These things might matter in the long run.
The coach was hired with the direction of expanding the rotation and emphasizing player development. He’s delivering, although the minutes for Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges, in particular, are higher than the goal.
For any Knicks fan who has followed the team since 2020, a natural reaction would be to cite these developments as justification for replacing Tom Thibodeau. The lack of bench usage was among the biggest knocks on the former Knicks coach.
However, it’s worth noting that only two of the seven players on the above trusted bench list — McBride and Kolek — were available to Thibodeau at this point last season.
Shamet, Robinson and McCullar were injured a year ago; Diawara and Clarkson are new to the roster.
So the personnel is different — though not quite as expected after the summer — and they’re slowly rewarding the coach’s faith. In Brown’s system, there’s an emphasis on movement, high motors and defensive intensity from the role players — which may help explain why Yabusele and Dadiet aren’t making the cut.
But the other youngsters are helping the Knicks navigate injuries, play defense and keep the starters’ minutes manageable.
In the process, Kolek, Clarkson and now McCullar have created their own highlights.
