Back when the New York Knicks decided–or, more specifically, owner James Dolan decided–to avoid the NBA‘s second apron at all costs, with backup center Mitchell Robinson as the incumbent set to lose his job, the hope was that the team could find ways to patch together a good rotation off the bench with a veteran and a young player who could develop. New York went through several options trying to find the right fits, but were thwarted at every turn and eventually settled on veteran Andre Drummond and former No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman, who is hoping to revive a career that never got off the ground in Golden State.
Just before the season tipped off, one Eastern Conference coach told Heavy that the backup spot would be at least something of a red flag for New York. “It’s a step backward to go from Mitch to what they’ve got now,” the coach said. “I don’t know that they can go all 82 games with that as your backup situation, let alone if (starter Karl-Anthony Towns) has to miss time. It’s going to bite them, probably down the road, but at some point.”
Knicks Bench Andre Drummond
Well, that point might well be now, with the Knicks at 0-3 and the Drummond-Wiseman duo already looking like a disaster. We’ll give the usual caveat that it’s early and that the Knicks are still feeling their way. But coach Mike Brown benched Drummond on Sunday, hinting there was a lack of effort on his part.
“I felt our transition defense wasn’t good during that time, not just because of [Drummond], but I wanted to go with a change,” Brown said. “Wiseman’s been playing well in practice. I wanted to give him an opportunity and I thought he was pretty good in his first stint [in the first half]. And so I decided to go with him for a second stint. But Andre will go out there as a backup in the next game. …
“First thing I wanna make clear is we have our starting five. Other than that, anybody can play. When you’re a backup in this league, that doesn’t mean you’re always gonna be the seventh man or you’re always gonna be the eighth man.”
James Wiseman Goes 0-for-5
The Knicks practice efforts of Wiseman, though, did not carry over to the game. Wiseman was 0-for-5 in 7:09 on the floor, and has yet to score this season.
Yes, it is early. But as James Edwards of The Athletic noted, “Mike Brown appears to think he has a center problem behind KAT. Wiseman just checked in and the lead evaporated. Brown kept Drummond on the bench in place of Wiseman after the former played the first half.”
Knicks’ ‘Step Backward’ Looking Worse Than Expected