Mike Brown needed Friday’s preseason finale towards the Charlotte Hornets to be a gown rehearsal — one ultimate tune-up earlier than opening evening.
As a substitute, it grew to become one other reminder of how little time his full rotation has really spent collectively.
The Knicks dominated beginning heart Mitchell Robinson out for load administration and held Josh Hart, Karl-Anthony Cities, and OG Anunoby out for precautionary causes. On paper, it’s October upkeep. In actuality, it’s 4 starters or key rotation items lacking beneficial reps in a brand new system lower than every week earlier than the common season begins on Oct. 22 towards the Cleveland Cavaliers.
And for a staff speaking championship aspirations, that’s hardly excellent.
Hart hasn’t performed because the preseason opener in Abu Dhabi, the place he logged simply seven minutes earlier than exiting with decrease again spasms. He entered camp resigned to the very fact he’ll play the season with a splint on his proper ring finger — and was seen strolling gingerly on the Madison Sq. Backyard ground earlier than Friday’s tip.
Robinson hasn’t performed because the first half of the Knicks’ Oct. 9 win over the Timberwolves. Anunoby, in the meantime, has now sustained two minor coaching camp setbacks — first a hand sprain that sidelined him for the opener, then an ankle tweak in follow that stored him out Friday. Cities, coping with a quad problem, sat for the second straight recreation after lacking Monday’s loss to Washington.
Out of a doable 985 whole minutes by way of the Knicks’ first 4 preseason video games plus one time beyond regulation interval, the staff’s high six gamers have logged simply 287. Hart has performed seven. Robinson, forty-four.
That’s not the kind of rhythm-building Brown envisioned heading into his first season on the helm.
“I’d love to have everyone together, especially trying to play the way we’re playing — it’s new to everybody,” Brown mentioned earlier than tipoff Friday. “But it is what it is. Whether we had everyone or not, this is a marathon, not a sprint. You hope to be sharp by opening night, but the goal is to keep moving forward.”
Brown’s greatest problem proper now isn’t schematic, however timing. He’s attempting to put in new ideas of tempo, spacing, and defensive aggression, and each missed follow or recreation represents a missed rep towards cohesion.
“They’re learning quickly — actually a little ahead of where I thought we’d be,” he mentioned. “However the guys who’ve been out, they’re the important thing items to what we’re attempting to do. They haven’t gotten the reps, and for us to jell from high to backside is gonna take extra time than I assumed, most likely due to the accidents.
“We’ve got capable guys ready to play when their numbers are called, and that’s what I’m looking forward to seeing.”
Brown is selecting to see the setback as a chance. The Knicks had been the healthiest staff in basketball final season, shedding the fewest video games to damage league-wide. He is aware of historical past hardly ever repeats itself. Robinson, Anunoby, Cities, and Hart every carry various ranges of damage concern — so the early absence of key names may, in time, function helpful preparation for the inevitable grind forward.
“I’ve said this before: any time you’re missing guys, it’s next man up,” Brown mentioned. “Knock on wood, we could be missing guys during the season. So this is just another opportunity for players to step up and get a chance to play. We’ll go out and play with who’s available.”
Brown stays assured his group will likely be prepared when the lights come on for actual.
“Mitch is load management, yes,” he mentioned. “If it was a regular-season game — or a playoff game — to my understanding, Mitch was going to play.”
It’s preseason persistence for now. However when the video games begin to rely, Brown’s gamers might want to reply the bell.
