Knicks' bench woes may have a solve in Westchester

01/07/2025 03:22 PM

And no, it's not one of the rookies.

I'm sure you've heard it all by now.

In the midst of their three game slide, the Knicks, who just a week ago seemed to be on top of the world, have suddenly come crashing back down to reality. The glaring shortcomings of both the Knicks' current roster construction and Tom Thibodeau's reluctance to expand his rotation has led to New York repeatedly fading down the stretch of games.

Injury trouble has only further emphasized the fact, and an already-thin rotation is being stretched even further.

With Miles McBride and Mitchell Robinson injured, the bench unit consisted of only three players, each playing between 10 and 20 minutes per game; Cameron Payne, Landry Shamet, and Precious Achiuwa.

Fans are already familiar with Achiuwa from last year, and his role as a paint presence that can crash the glass seems to be solidified.

Similarly, Payne has carved out a nice role for himself on the bench as an energy-boosting vet who can fill up the scoring column. He's shooting over 40% from deep in his first season as a Knick, and Thibs seems to like him.

The jury's still out on Landry Shamet, who has underwhelmed in his eight games so far as a Knick. He's another vet who can fill it up from three, and after a strong preseason with New York, just returned from rehabbing a shoulder injury. Even still, he's averaging 2.9 points per game, and you can only be so patient in today's NBA.

The Knicks have the fewest bench points in the entire league by a pretty significant margin, and most everyone who has watched the team agrees that something has to change.

Who's the answer to our problems? Where can we find a professional scorer, someone who can put the ball in the basket whenever asked to?

Look no further than Westchester for a solution sitting right under our noses.

Introducing Bubble legend T.J. Warren.

Warren is a veteran swingman who's been around the league since 2014, when he was drafted in the middle of the first round by the Phoenix Suns.

After steadily improving for a few seasons, Warren was averaging 19.6 points per game on 50% shooting in the 2017-18 season. He maintained a similarly high level of play after being shipped to Indiana in 2019-20, and showed off his scoring prowess in front of a national audience in the NBA bubble in Orlando.

Warren averaged 19.8 points per game that season, and developed a reputation as one of the best pure scorers in the NBA. Sadly, he played just four games over the following two seasons, dealing with a stress fracture in his left foot that required multiple surgeries.

Since then, he's struggled to find his footing in the league, bouncing from Brooklyn to Phoenix to Minnesota before finally finding his way to the G-League, where he's been starring for the Westchester Knicks.

This man is too good for the G-League, folks.

Across 18 appearances, Warren is averaging 25.3 points per game on 51.8% from the field and 37.6% from deep. Add in 6.8 boards and 3.6 assists per game, and you're beginning to get the picture.

He's top three in the G in scoring. He's filled up the stat sheet in the NBA. For the first time in several years, he looks healthy. And he's exactly the kind of player the big-league Knicks are looking for.

The Knicks have a roster spot up for grabs, and the window for ten-day contracts opened up this past Sunday. If the Knicks don't take a shot on Warren, someone else certainly will. Warren will be contributing in the league this time next month; let's hope he's doing it with New York.