Knicks Underrated Depth Showcased in One Impressive Stat

No one knew if the Knicks truly had enough depth or not because the coaching staff was not comfortable giving them minutes in meaningful games until it was too little too late in the postseason.

Through the first 30 games of Mike Brown’s tenure as New York’s head coach, that has been one of the many bright spots. He has shown a willingness to throw guys into the fire, seeing how they respond to different situations.

The results, thus far, have been fantastic. The Knicks are 21-9 and in second place in the Eastern Conference, 2.5 games behind the Detroit Pistons. His willingness to experiment has led to unearthing a lot of depth, as evidenced by a post made by Empire Sports Media's Dylan Backer on X.

There have already been 10 New York players to score at least 20 points in a game this season. That would not have occurred in years past. Not necessarily because the talent level is better on the roster, but because guys outside of the rotation weren’t given chances to showcase their abilities.

There have been several times this season already that Brown has played double-digit players in his rotation on a given night, not even including blowouts. 10 different players are averaging at least 12.8 minutes per game.

14 different players have already appeared in double-digit games this season. Some of that has been out of necessity, with several key members of the rotation suffering injuries.

OG Anunoby, Landry Shamet and Miles McBride have all missed at least 10 games already this season. Everyone except Mikal Bridges and Jordan Clarkson, who have appeared in all 30 games that count to their record and the 2026 NBA Emirates Cup Championship against the San Antonio Spurs, has missed multiple games already.

In recent years, that would be viewed as a major deterrent to the team finding success. Starters would be run into the ground playing extended minutes in games before Christmas.

Mike Brown helping build confidence of Knicks role players

Thankfully, that is no longer the case. Brown’s willingness to experiment during the marathon regular season is paying major dividends and will continue to do so late into the campaign.

Ariel Hukporti and Mohamed Diawara may not have 20-point games on their resume, but they are also receiving opportunities to prove themselves and grow into larger roles. Think of where the Knicks would be without Tyler Kolek being allowed to play through mistakes and grow into a prominent part of the rotation.

New York’s depth is excellent, with a deep roster capable of being mixed and matched by Brown to compete against whatever their opponent throws at them.