Knicks Finalize Opening Night Roster

#00 Jordan Clarkson

Height/Weight: 6'5, 194 lbs.
Experience: 12th season (1st with Knicks)
Age: 33
How Acquired: 2025 Free Agent (UTA)

While routinely dealing with a feast-or-famine nature, Clarkson's trigger-happy nature should help the Knicks improve the league's worst second-unit scoring bunch: since the 2020-21 campaign, Clarkson is the only player to reach 3,500 in bench tallies and is only four seasons removed from a Sixth Man of the Year run.

#2 Miles McBride

Height/Weight: 6'2, 195 lbs.
Experience: 5th season
Age: 25
How Acquired: 2021 draft, trade with OKC

There was some late drama, but "Deuce" is back for a fifth season as one of the more tenured Manhattanites. McBride is a firmly established member of the metropolitan rotation and his two-way talents should help with the aforementioned bench scoring issues. This is year two of a three-year contract extension that was bestowed shortly after the trading of RJ Barrett and Immanuel Quickley.

#3 Josh Hart

Height/Weight: 6'5, 215 lbs.
Experience: 9th season (4th with Knicks)
Age: 30
How Acquired: 2023 trade with POR

Hart emerged as an x-factor through his plethora of clutch chasedowns, dives, and rebounds. A starting five staple last time around, Hart may be destined to come off the bench this time if the Knicks opt to keep rolling out the two-big starting five. But, in this early going, Hart has served as an unfortunate reminder of how fleeting injury luck can be: already set to play this season with a splint on his shooting finger, Hart was limited to seven preseason minutes due to a back injury endured in the exhibition opener in Abu Dhabi.

#4 Pacome Dadiet

Height/Weight: 6'9, 210 lbs.
Experience: 2nd season
Age: 20
How Acquired: 2024 draft, 25th overall pick

Another one who survived late transactional drama, Dadiet is officially in New York for a second season, albeit with little assurance that he'll land major minutes. Brown seems high on Dadiet's potential, especially with what he can do with his length, but it's clear his metropolitan future is still on thin ice.

#8 OG Anunoby

Height/Weight: 6'7, 240 lbs.
Experience: 9th season (3rd with Knicks)
Age: 28
How Acquired: 2023 trade with TOR

Fresh off a nine-figure extension, the double-edged sword of Anunoby's Knicks career continues to surface: he was likewise limited this preseason, missing the opener in Abu Dhabi with a hand issue before missing the last two MSG showings with ankle woes. His impact, however, is undeniable: since he first took the floor for the Knicks on New Year's Day 2024, the Knicks have a 65-32 record in the games where Anunoby has suited up, which would be good for fourth-best win percentage in the NBA in that span.

#9 Kevin McCullar Jr. (Two-Way)

Height/Weight: 6'6, 210 lbs.
Experience: 2nd season
Age: 24
How Acquired: 2024 draft, trade with DEN

McCullar was one of the more niche inspiring stories of last Knicks season, overcoming a series of collegiate injuries to make his professional debut in the spring. He played four games with the big club but he seems more destined to make an impact in White Plains rather than Manhattan.

#11 Jalen Brunson

Height/Weight: 6'2, 190 lbs.
Experience: 8th season (4th with Knicks)
Age: 29
How Acquired: 2022 free agent (DAL)

The season for the season: little more needs to be said about Brunson's metropolitan impact, which is set to enter its fourth season and the second year of his captaincy. The obvious championship notwithstanding, it feels like Brunson has accomplished nearly everything there is to do on an individual level in Manhattan, but now he has to prove that he can indeed be the reliable top option on a conference champion.

#13 Tyler Kolek

Height/Weight: 6'2, 190 lbs.
Experience: 2nd season
Age: 24
How Acquired: 2024 draft, trade with POR

As a yet another Big East legend that fell in the draft due to injuries, Kolek has acquired a metropolitan cult following from the moment the Knicks traded up to pick up his services. Kolek struggled in Summer League action but found a bit of a groove in the late stages of the preseason, notably scoring 20 in 23 minutes during the penultimate effort. Even with a new coach, it feels like this is another de facto redshirt season for Kolek, but he might be first in line to capitalize on a medically-induced opportunity.

#20 Tosan Evbuomwan (Two-Way)

Height/Weight: 6'8, 217 lbs.
Experience: 3rd Season (1st with Knicks)
Age: 24
How Acquired: 2025 Free Agent (BKN)

Evbuomwan is back in the New York groove after a season in the Brooklyn Nets' system. While a bit undersized in the frontcourt, he should get a chance to enhanced his multi-faceted skillset with some extra work in Westchester on a two-way deal.

#23 Mitchell Robinson

Height/Weight: 7'0, 240 lbs.
Experience: 8th season
Age: 27
How Acquired: 2018 Draft, 36th overall pick

Robinson continues to stand as a sterling secret weapon from a bygone age, being one of the few conventional centers left on an NBA floor, one that camps out under the rim rejecting visitors and grabbing rebounds. New York rediscovered an undeniably gritty swagger once Robinson returned from a lingering ankle injury and they turned to him in the starting five in an attempt to flip momentum in the ECF against Indiana. But, once again, medical maladies will follow Robinson all year: New York has engaged in Robinson load management in the preseason and it'd hardly be surprising to see him sit out of occasions like back-to-backs.

#25 Mikal Bridges

Height/Weight: 6'6, 209 Lbs.
Experience: 8th season (2nd with Knicks)
Age: 29
How Acquired: 2024 trade with BKN

As if the target on Bridges' back wasn't bright enough, he's also working with a nine-figure deal, albeit one that gives the Knicks the slightest flexibility to move it at the trade deadline. Forever spotlighted as the main arrival in a rare deal between the Knicks and Nets — not to mention the plethora of draft picks it took to bring him over — Bridges perhaps bought himself at least a little leeway with some clutch defensive performances last postseason but he'll have to do just a little more for the Knicks to fully appreciate the investment they've placed into him.

#28 Guerschon Yabusele

Height/Weight: 6'7, 265 lbs.
Experience: 4th season (1st with Knicks)
Age: 29
How Acquired: 2025 Free Agent (PHI)

Despite a trying preseason, the Knicks have high hopes for Yabusele, bringing him over from a division rival after his return to domestic action. Yabusele had a busy offseason, captaining his native France's most recent run in the EuroBasket competition. Though Yabusele considers himself more of a forward, his size could be relied upon if injuries chase Robinson out of the lineup.

#32 Karl-Anthony Towns

Height/Weight: 7'0, 248 lbs.
Experience: 11th season (2nd with Knicks)
Age: 29
How Acquired: 2024 Trade with MIN

The Towns trade could've gone wrong in so many ways, but it wound up going as well as it could've possibly ended up, at least after year one: Towns was a force to be reckoned with, particularly on offense, and earned his first start in the NBA All-Star Game while helping guide the Knicks to unprecedented postseason territory. In year two, he'll be challenged with keeping up with Brown's demands for solid shot volumes: New York was 0-3 when Towns tried less than 10 field goals in a game and 4-8 when he got off only two three-pointers.

#44 Landry Shamet

Height/Weight: 6'5, 190 lbs.
Experience: 8th season (2nd with Knicks)
Age: 28
How Acquired: 2024 Free Agent (PHI)

Shamet was the winner of the hyped battle for the Knicks' final roster/rotational spot, partly aided by the surprise retirement of Malcolm Brogdon. Nonetheless, no one's complaining about his return, as Shamet grew a loyal following of Knickerbockers through his efforts off the bench late last season. Now comes his next challenge: keeping his rotation spot over homegrown talents Dadiet and/or Kolek.

#50 Trey Jemison (Two-Way)

Height/Weight: 6'10, 270 lbs.
Experience: 3rd season (1st with Knicks)
Age: 25
How Acquired: 2025 Free Agent (LAL)

Jemison is another interior project who could step up if injuries strike. But it's clear that he was one of the winners of the traditional preseason minutes, as Brown was particularly pleased with the way he stepped up on the defensive end.

#51 Mohamed Diawara

Height/Weight: 6'9, 225 lbs.
Experience: Rookie
Age: 20
How Acquired: 2025 Draft, trade with POR

Diawara stood out during the preseason, which provided important minutes after he was forced to miss most of the Summer League proceedings with an injury. It probably won't be enough to earn rotational minutes this season but the Knicks clearly have something to work with. Interestingly, Diawara signed an Exhibit 10 contract rather than a Second Round Exception deal, so it'll be interesting to see what he does to stand out in what will likely be Westchester affairs to start.

#55 Ariel Hukporti

Height/Weight: 7'0, 246 lbs.
Experience: 2nd season
Age: 23
How Acquired: 2024 draft with DAL

It seems like the basketball gods are actively trying to deter Hukporti, 2024's hardwood "Mr. Irrelevant" as the last pick of the NBA Draft, from making an instant impact with the Knicks: he had an unexpected chance to generate some momentum last year but endured an injury that was essentially season-ending in his first career start. The Knicks brought him back for another year but some intriguing competition awaits with fellow post projects Diawara and Jemison in tow.