New York Knicks: Why the source of team struggle lies with the bench

The New York Knicks know they can count on Kristaps Porzingis and (usually) Tim Hardaway Jr for offense. From there, offensive production becomes a mystery.

Rebuilding the New York Knicks, or any team, is a slow and deliberate process. Often, struggling to find a star player stalls that progress for many teams. Yet, that’s one area New York locked down a few years ago by drafting Kristaps Porzingis.

Once the star player is established, inserting complementary pieces around him becomes the focus. For the Knicks, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Enes Kanter fill that role beautifully. However, the players on the Knicks bench aren’t nearly as flattering.

When the original “Big Three” of LeBron James, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh took over the Miami Heat, a new era of basketball began. In the simplest of terms, their success proved the need for three consistent scorers in the modern NBA. That combination allowed for various lineup configurations and thus made the Heat bench integral to their success.

No one is arguing that the Knicks have that level of talent or ambition this season. Nonetheless, the offense Jeff Hornacek wants requires a third scorer and more production off the bench. This year’s New York Knicks team has playoff potential, but their bench has a long way to go.

The Knicks find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place this season. Do they tank the season and secure a lottery pick in the NBA Draft? Or do they build off early season momentum and chase the playoffs?

Either way, the Knicks have to find a third scorer and more bench production by next year. The mixture of Porzingis, Hardaway and Kanter is too special to spoil on a three- or four-year rebuild.

Who can we trust?

Porzingis and Hardaway can’t play 48 minutes every game. Even if they could, both players have shown stretches where they disappear or lose their mojo. Consequently, the Knicks’ bench is very important, even in a rebuilding year. When they don’t produce, this team is dead in the water unless KP and Hardaway go off for 30+ points a piece.

Take for example, the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday night. Porzingis and Hardaway struggled to find their rhythm as Rip City had their way with the Knicks for most of the night.

In the NBA, even the best players will struggle or lose their touch for certain periods of time. In those cases, backup scorers and bench players have to step up.

The box score for the New York Knicks on that night highlights the failures of their bench. For the night, no bench player scored more than seven points (Michael Beasley) and no player had more than one assist. In other words, the Knicks bench is the reason they lost the game.

In the long NBA season, one game doesn’t prove much by itself. However, the struggles of New York’s bench is a trend in need of repair. Saturday, against the Houston Rockets and without Porzingis, the highest-scoring bench player was Willy Hernangomez with four points.

On Friday night, against the Atlanta Hawks, Hornacek went with a four-man bench rotation. Yet, the highest bench scorer that night only scored six points. This three-game trend highlights where the Knicks’ focus must be going forward.

On the season, New York’s bench ranks 24th in scoring and 21st in plus/minus.

Next: 2017-18 Week 7 NBA Power Rankings

The source of the New York Knick’s struggles this season rests on every player sitting on the bench. Whether they decide to chase the playoffs or chase the NBA Draft Lottery, their lackluster bench has the look of a long-term issue.