On Saturday, October 17, the New York Knicks waived Bruce Brown to retain James Wiseman for the upcoming season.
Speaking to the media on Sunday, October 18, Knicks head coach Mike Brown explained what he saw in Wiseman and why New York chose to keep him.
“When you have a guy that’s 25 years old, that has the length and the athleticism and the talent of a James Wiseman, because KAT’s not athletic like that and Andre (Drummond) was once that, he still has some of it, but to have that at 25 years old, especially with where we’re at as a group, you look for guys,” Brown said, via The New York Post’s Jared Schwartz. “…How good he runs; you welcome that at his size and age and athleticism.”
Wiseman will now fill the vacant third-string big man role within the Knicks roster. As such, New York has now plugged the biggest gap in its rotation, following the departure of Ariel Hukporti earlier this summer.
It’s worth noting that Brown and Wiseman have worked together before. The Knicks head coach was the lead assistant for the Golden State Warriors for the first two years of Wiseman’s NBA career. Brown will undoubtedly believe he can help unlock for the former second overall draft pick’s potential.
Knicks’ HC Speaks Glowingly Of Bruce Brown
Brown also addressed the Knicks’ decision to part ways with 2023 NBA champion Bruce Brown.
“Bruce, he’s a winner,” Brown said. He shows a level of toughness and versatility – not just defensively; he can guard one through four, but even offensively. He can initiate the offense. Our point guard’s not one that has to come down every play and break his guy down and make the game easier for everyone else. We have a system where we play out of concepts, and Bruce is good enough to initiate the offense, or he’s good enough to be off-the-ball.”
Brown continued.
“So he fits in with how we want to play on both ends, while giving us versatility on both ends. Having a chance to get to know him, he seems like a good guy. He seems like he knows a lot of our guys because he was in the same class as a few of them. So it was tough from that standpoint.”
Ultimately, the Knicks opted to move forward with Wiseman, likely due to the additional need at the center position.
Bruce Brown Is A Free Agent After Knicks Choice
With the Knicks opting to waive Brown, he will now become an unrestricted free agent. Given his experience, championship know-how, and versatility, it’s unlikely that he’ll sit on the free-agent market for too long.
However, New York made a decision based on team needs. Brown will likely understand how they came to their conclusion. Still, it will be interesting to see where Brown winds up, as he could easily slot into a high-level rotation and provide some much-needed depth on the wing.
Now, all eyes will be on Wiseman and whether he can show some development off the Knicks’ bench this season.
Knicks Coach Gets Honest About Choosing Former No. 2 Pick Over Veteran Champion