Knicks Weakness Could Turn Into Biggest Strength

The New York Knicks are a team that would be considered top-heavy compared to other squads around the league.

The Knicks boasted one of the best starting lineups on paper this past season, but the bench left a lot to be desired. On top of that, the starting lineup didn't perform up to standards, so the Knicks lost gas in the deep run for the postseason.

A big motive for the offseason was to improve the depth, and the Knicks did just that by signing Guerschon Yabusele from the Philadelphia 76ers and Jordan Clarkson from the Utah Jazz.

Empire Sports Media writer Davin McFarland likes what the Knicks have done with their depth additions.

"Observers will be keenly watching how his strategy compares to the depth advantages seen in recent Finals runs by teams like Oklahoma City and Indiana," McFarland wrote.

"Clarkson’s scoring ability and Yabusele’s versatility provide [head coach Mike] Brown with options to counter opposing adjustments, especially against teams that employ quicker forwards against [Karl-Anthony] Towns. Moreover, [Miles] McBride’s seamless fit into this system could provide a boost; he thrives in transition and as a 3-and-D guard."

The league used to reward teams that had strong lineups at the top of the depth chart, but now that is transitioning since the NBA has more talent across the board. Superteams are no longer the way of the land, but rather building a team that has second-unit players that could start on lesser teams in the league.

The current wave of stars in the NBA is getting older, so the younger players are taking over, and there's more of them to go around, making it hard for these top-heavy teams to sustain themselves.

That's why the Knicks needed to get depth, but now that they have a capable nine-man rotation, they could improve drastically.