When the New York Knicks kick off training camp in October, there will be intrigue over the battle for the final roster spot.
The Knicks have assembled their deepest, most talented roster in years. Their rotation should be pretty set at nine or 10 players, but they have several capable veterans rounding out the roster.
Over the weekend, the Knicks continued to add to the roster, signing two proven veterans in Landry Shamet and Marcus Morris Sr. to what are essentially non-guaranteed, training camp invites.
Currently, the Knicks have 14 players on guaranteed deals: Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, Miles McBride, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, Precious Achiuwa, Jericho Sims, Cameron Payne, Keita Bates-Diop, Tyler Kolek, and Pacome Dadiet.
That leaves the Knicks with one open guaranteed roster spot, and three players competing for it: Shamet, Morris, and power forward Chuma Okeke, who the Knicks signed earlier in the offseason.
Each player has their own merits.
As of now, Morris seems to have the inside track. According to SNY's Ian Begley, Morris has a "real chance" of making the final roster . The 34-year-old Morris had a strong stint with the Knicks in 2019-20, and according to Begley, is viewed as a locker room leader and a potential stretch big man.
Shamet's shooting could also be useful for the Knicks, especially if any of their other guards got injured. Shamet is a career 38% three-point shooter, and at 27, is much younger than Morris.
Meanwhile, Okeke seems the least likely to make the roster, but he offers potential upside for the Knicks. Okeke was the 16th pick in the 2019 draft, but missed his rookie year with a torn ACL. His minutes wavered over four seasons with the Orlando Magic, as he has struggled shooting the ball (38% for his career). However, he's shown some flashes of being an impact defender, which means he'll always get some consideration from Tom Thibodeau.
Jonathan Macri of Knicks Film School wondered if it's possible that the Knicks even keep Morris and Shamet and cut someone like Bates-Diop.
The three-man race for the 15th spot is far different from last season, when the Knicks final roster spots went to players like Jacob Toppin, DaQuan Jeffries, Mamadi Diakite, and Ryan Arcidiacono, all of whom combined to play 137 total minutes last year.
After the injury bug swept through the Knicks last season, leaving them with essentially five healthy rotation players by the end of the playoffs, the Knicks front office seems to have made it a goal to have a deep, viable bench this year.
There are some unknowns — it's unclear if Kolek and Dadiet will be NBA-ready rookies. But the other 12 guaranteed contracts are all proven NBA players, and Morris, Shamet, and Okeke all have extensive NBA experience.
In recent years, Knicks training camp has been more about how the main rotation is coming together. While that will still be an obvious focus this year, the race for the final spot could have a "Hard Knocks" vibe.
Local News
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