The Knicks’ bench mob is ready to cook

Featured
Written By Luca

Mike Brown’s experimentation is starting to bear fruit as the Knicks make their post-All-Star playoff push.

The Knicks’ shortcomings under Tom Thibodeau were well documented. He was often criticized for overplaying “his guys,” namely Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns last season. Not only did this philosophy diminish the quality of his stars’ play after so many heavy minutes, but it leaves other players on the roster who have potential to make a high impact rotting on the bench.

In making the switch to Mike Brown this past offseason, Leon Rose & Co. hoped that Brown could do what Thibodeau couldn’t – maximize the entire roster available to him, not just the top 7-8 guys. With this vision in mind, Rose has made some high-upside roster moves that, paired with Brown’s creativity, have helped propel the Knicks to the third-best record in the East and the fourth-highest net rating in the NBA so far this year.

The Landry Shamet Show

On Sep. 11, 2025, the Knicks re-signed Landry Shamet to a one-year deal. In 50 games last season in New York, he averaged 5.7 points on 39.7% from three (3.1 3PA/game) in just over 15 minutes per game. Shamet showed flashes of high impact in his minutes with the Knicks during the course of the regular season, but as the playoffs came around, his minutes were slashed in half and he made the most of his limited minutes.

This season, however, has seen Shamet go from a solid role player to one of the NBA’s best shooters. With a bump in playing time (up to 22 MPG this season), Landry is shooting a blistering 42.2% from three on just over five attempts per game. Shamet might be one of the players who has benefited most from Brown implementing a movement-friendly offense this year. He’s often tasked with creation reps even with better ball handlers on the floor, using a variety of dribble hand-offs to create space for him to pull the trigger from three.

No game highlights this new freedom more than his 36-point explosion against the Heat. Without Jalen and OG playing in that game, Landry took 19 shots total including 12 threes (hitting six) and made all six of his free throws. He was entrusted down the stretch to bring the Knicks home, pouring in 30 of his points in the second half. Since the departure of Donte DiVincenzo, the Knicks have lacked a player with a true “pull everything” mindset, and Shamet has been that and more for the Knicks this year, helping optimize Brown’s run-and-gun offense.

 
 

Landry has also shown very nice chemistry with Brunson this year – he’s received 141 passes from JB, 53 more than the second place Hart. As one of the team’s best off-ball movers, he is constantly cutting to shift defenses before relocating to a corner. With the number of actions the Knicks have run from the wings this year, Jalen has consistently found Shamet for corner threes, where he’s shooting 45% on the year. He’s also an underrated defender, especially at the point of attack, where the Knicks lack intensity at times (especially recently in the absence of Deuce McBride). Shamet is excellent at mirroring opponents’ hips, letting him stay close to the ball at all times. Opponents are shooting just 42% from the field 15-plus feet from the basket while being guarded by him. Landry is also excellent at staying connected to his man on and off the ball, leading to him drawing offensive fouls because of his love to fight over screens. The Knicks have played incredibly well whenever Shamet is on the floor this year, posting a +6.6 net rating in his minutes. 

Mo Diawara’s mastery

A couple of months ago I wrote about how Mohamed Diawara could give the Knicks some juice if Brown loosened the reins a bit. I didn’t ask for much, just some short 8-10 minute spurts here and there. Coach must’ve read my piece, because in the few months since that article was written, Mo has become one of Brown’s favorite players off the bench, and has not only the attention of the entire fanbase, but now the national media thanks to his lights-out 3-point shooting and elite defensive prowess.

The flashes of high-impact play have become a mainstay in his game as the minutes have steadily increased. Since the start of the Knicks’ 10-2 stretch (first win on Jan. 21), Diawara is averaging 14 minutes per game, shooting 55% from the field and 46% from three (on three attempts per game). In fact, he’s up to 41% from three across the entire season, putting him third amongst rookies in 3-point percentage (min. 60 attempts). The young Frenchman has gone from a shaky, hesitant shooter to one of the team’s most confident, perpetuated by his vets’ confidence in him.

Brunson and Bridges stand out in finding Mo in his spots, specifically off of pick-and-pop looks. As Diawara’s confidence from three has grown, so has the Knicks’ confidence in running these actions. Brunson and Bridges have passed to him for the most 3-point attempts out of any players (13 and nine, respectively), with Mo making seven of his threes off looks from Jalen, and five of his threes off looks from Mikal.

Diawara isn’t just another look for the Knicks offensively – he’s often tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best player for stretches at a time while OG, Mikal, and Josh get their rest. A majority of his matchup minutes this season have come against stars, including Pascal Siakam, Cade Cunningham, Devin Booker, and Jaylen Brown to name a few. We all saw what he did to Brown in Boston a few games ago, and this type of performance against stars has become common as Brown continues to test the ceiling of Mo’s defense. 

Probably the biggest impact of Brown’s willingness to experiment is Diawara’s positive impact with the team’s most played guys. He has a positive net rating sharing the court with every starter besides Jalen: +14.9 net rating in 101 minutes with KAT, +14.2 net rating in 78 minutes with OG, +6.6 net rating in 68 minutes with Josh, and +2.0 net rating in 137 minutes shared with Mikal. As Diawara continues to get consistent minutes, his already solid chemistry with the team’s stars will grow, and Brown will have a number of lock-down lineups that he can deploy Mo in.

Trusting Tyler Kolek

Coming into the season, Kolek had expectations to be the team’s lead backup point guard after Cam Payne’s departure in the offseason. However, he didn’t flash in Summer League, nor catch eyes during the preseason. He didn’t start the regular season well at all either, averaging just 2.3 points and 1.3 assists across seven minutes per game through the first 10 games (while shooting an abysmal 23% from three).

After receiving three straight DNP-CDs (did not play, coach’s decision) from Nov. 14 to Nov. 19, it looked like Kolek might permanently be shelved. But Brown trusted the work, and that trust has paid off big time. Since his last benching, Kolek is averaging six points and 3.5 assists on 38.5% from three in 15 minutes per game. Those numbers don’t jump off the page, but Kolek has given some memorable performances, including a 16-point, 11-assist effort in a win against the Pacers, a sparkling 16-point, 9-assist line in the Knicks’ Christmas Day victory, and 14 points, five assists, and five rebounds in the NBA Cup Final win. 

 
 

Kolek has also performed particularly well while sharing the floor with Towns – across 326 minutes (his most minutes shared with any player), the pairing has a +17.7 net rating. Already a pick-and-roll savant, Kolek has made an emphasis on finding KAT consistently for open threes to get him in rhythm and executing the offense to feed the post for the dominant big man. He has made the second-most of his passes to KAT, helping him hit 39% from three on those looks (3.8% better than KAT’s season average from deep). In a season where Brunson and Towns seem to be having some court chemistry issues, TK has been a steady hand and helped optimize KAT’s performance. Brown’s trust in Kolek not only gave the Knicks two months of high-impact backup point guard play, but it also helped get KAT better looks and elevated his impact even when separated from other starters.

Enter Grand Theft Alvarado 5

When the Knicks acquired Jose Alvarado from the Pelicans on the day of the trade deadline, it was one of the only times I’ve ever seen the Knicks fanbase united over something. For fans who find a way to complain about literally anything (I saw somebody have a breakdown over the Knicks trading Dalen Terry), the entire fanbase came to the cumulative conclusion that this was a home run trade for New York. Lo and behold, it's taken Alvarado just three games to prove the fanbase correct.

In his first game as a Knick against Boston, Jose hit two threes and recorded three stocks (steals and blocks) while playing with the intensity Knicks fans were hoping for. He even got a trademark Grand Theft Alvarado steal, back-tapping Jaylen Brown before finishing a layup to extend the lead and force a Celtics timeout. Fast forward two games later, and he’s in the face of Trendon Watford sticking up for Mitchell Robinson, getting a smirk from Jalen and a roar of appreciation from the majority Knicks crowd in Philly. 

Oh, and I forgot to mention he hit a career-high eight threes in the game, and added four assists and five steals in a near 50-point victory.

Not only will Alvarado give the Knicks’ bench another level of creation and defense, but he fits like a glove next to the Knicks’ most impactful players. He’s shared just 23 minutes with Brunson since coming over, but that pairing is helping the Knicks blitz teams — they have a +25.4 net rating when they share the court. With KAT? A +29.1 net rating in 26 minutes shared.

We know that Mike Brown isn’t one to let a players’ stature determine his impact, as we’ve seen him comfortable running three guard lineups for extended periods of time, and Alvarado significantly raises the floor and ceiling of these lineups because of his efficiency off the ball. Jose has never been the player who demands usage to have an impact – he’s a high-level 3-point shooter (37.5% on the year) and has a knack for creating mismatches for teammates with his movement. He’s the perfect player for New York City, and it’ll be fun to see how Brown plans on fully optimizing GTA5.

This roster has plenty of talent, easily enough to make the NBA Finals and win a championship. There’s no doubt about that. But Brown being willing to sacrifice short-term winning for long-term success will drive the true ceiling of this Knicks team. Brown’s mad scientist work with the end of the bench from the beginning of the season until now has bore the fruits of his labor, rewarding him for his trust in his players and helping the Knicks’ roster reach a higher peak than we could’ve imagined coming into the season. All this has done is make the Knicks even more dangerous as the playoffs get ever closer. When teams need to shrink their rotations and struggle to find different combinations that work, Brown will know exactly what buttons to press to give his team an advantage on every margin. 

Luca https://twitter.com/KNICKSTAPE__
Next

Knicks fandom, the philosophical way