Throughout the NBA free agency, the New York Knicks only added two key players to their roster. The Knicks signed veteran guard Jordan Clarkson to a one-year contract after his buyout agreement with the Utah Jazz. The second move they made was signing Guerschon Yabusele to a two-year contract. These are the only players they acquired as free agents over the summer.
However, there’s still concern regarding the Knicks’ depth, especially in the frontcourt. The Knicks have Karl-Anthony Towns, Mitchell Robinson and Ariel Hukporti as its centers. However, there’s an option for New York to put two big men on the floor. That would mean Towns will play the power forward and Robinson will return to the starting lineup as the center.
That leaves Hukporti as the only backup center. Having just one backup big man for the rest of the season coud be a looming problem for the Knicks.
NBA writer David Vertsberger opened up the possibility of having another center to prepare for an unfortunate circumstance. Vertsberger suggested that the New York Knicks should sign former Indiana Pacers center Thomas Bryant.
“One position the Knicks may want to heavily consider using this spot for is the center spot. Their current rotation is made up of Karl-Anthony Towns, Mitchell Robinson and Ariel Hukporti, and if they start the double-big lineup, this essentially leaves them one backup five to start the year,” Vertsberger said.
“They have interesting alternative options at the center like sliding newly-signed Guerschon Yabusele down a position or playing OG Anunoby there, and can always move Robinson back to the bench. However, signing a depth piece at the position like Thomas Bryant gives them more security in case injuries hit.”
Bryant remains unsigned after finishing the 2024-25 season with the Pacers, averaging 6.9 points and 3.9 rebounds on 51.5% shooting from the field.
Ben Simmons won’t be productive for the New York Knicks
Credit: AP Photo
One of the teams rumored to sign free agent guard-forward Ben Simmons is the New York Knicks. The team is looking to build a deeper roster for the 2025-26 NBA season and Simmons could be a productive player. After all, he’s a three-time All-Star and a two-time All-Defensive player.
However, Vertsberger said that he might not bring the same level of production to the Knicks and fans could be disappointed.
“Unfortunately, fans expecting that level of production are likely to be disappointed, as Simmons hasn’t been the same since his back issues and holdout season,” he wrote. “In fact, he hasn’t been a fraction of his former effectiveness. In his three seasons since, Simmons hasn’t eclipsed 51 games played or seven points per game in those games, totaling twice as many turnovers as free throws. “
It’s a shame that Simmons isn’t the same player as he once was. But there could be a team that might need his services.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen on Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
