Knicks exhibit season-opening jitters of getting acclimated to new teammates
Knicks guard Josh Hart blocks a shot and hits the face of Washington Wizards guard Johnny Davis during the first half of an NBA preseason game Friday in Washington. Credit: AP/John McDonnell
Finishing up training camp and readying for the start of the regular season, the Knicks suddenly were facing questions.
After four straight wins, they lost what seemed like a meaningless preseason finale, but in the locker room afterward, suddenly there were doubts. Josh Hart was wondering aloud about his role, saying he felt lost. Mikal Bridges spoke of trying to refine his shooting mechanics after tinkering resulted in a 2-for-19 effort from three-point range in preseason games, including 0-for-10 Friday night.
“I’m lost. I have no idea,” Hart said. “There’s a couple days we have until Boston. So whether that’s trying to get a rhythm with that starting unit or we give somebody else a look and my role changes and [I come] off the bench and go with that unit. Right now I pretty much have no idea. But we’ll see what happens in Boston.”
Perhaps it would be reasonable to consider that this was preseason, a time for acclimating, adjusting and learning, numbers that will be forgotten by Tuesday night. After all, Cam Payne took the most shots of anyone on the Knicks and the most three-point field-goal attempts (31). Landry Shamet was right behind him before he dislocated a shoulder and was waived Saturday.
There were legitimate concerns. Precious Achiuwa suffered a left hamstring strain on Friday and will be re-evaluated in two to four weeks. Achiuwa figured to be a huge part of the second unit, backing up at power forward and center.
Hart’s conjecture about the second unit might make sense right now with the undersized group that already has lost two key pieces in Shamet and Achiuwa. Moving Deuce McBride to the starting lineup would add another shooter, and Hart’s versatility and rebounding could help the second unit and give him more of a role.
Still, there were things that went right. Jalen Brunson, the most important player on the team, shot 57.1% overall, including 43.8% from beyond the arc. Karl-Anthony Towns had some shooting struggles. He shot 4-for-23 from three-point range but still managed to average 18.3 points and 11.0 rebounds in 25.5 minutes.
So maybe the Hart comments after converting one field goal and taking six shots in four games were just his usual crankiness after struggling. It could be similar to last season, when he complained about his role and rhythm before declaring he wasn’t disgruntled and going on to become a huge part of the team’s success.
Even Bridges’ shooting difficulties seem overblown, given his history. He peaked at 42.5% in 2020-21 but complained of a hitch in his shot. He said he has spent his career trying to fix it and return to the form he had in college at Villanova.
“When I came out of college, I kind of tweaked it a little bit,” Bridges said. “And then my second year in the league, I had the hitch, and tried to build back from that ever since. So just trying to get it right. Pretty much it.”
At least Bridges seemed able to put the preseason struggles in perspective.
“Get the misses out now,” he said. “And get ready for the 82-game season.”
Notes & quotes: The Knicks have three roster spots open with Saturday’s moves placing Shamet, T.J. Warren and Chuma Okeke on waivers.
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
