Day off for the New York Bockers as they wait to host the visiting Wizards on Wednesday.
The Knicks took Monday off before getting back to the gym ahead of their second preseason game and first one inside the walls of Madison Square Garden.
New York will host the visiting Washington Wizards for a Wednesday matching in Manhattan, but the lack of activity a day ago didn’t mean we couldn’t find some nuggets in the shape of quotes from some of our beloved Knickerbockers.
Here’s the latest we’ve heard from newcomer Mikal Bridges, team captain Jalen Brunson, and off-the-pine microwave-shooter Landry Shamet—as well as a brief cameo from a former NYK player.
Mikal Bridges
On the Knicks’ depth and talent:
“We got a lot of guys that can hoop. Even when we were playing pickup in training camp, you can just see the talent out there.
“We got a lot of guys who can play, not just get some minutes, but can all play. It’s obviously a great problem to have.
“Thank God I’m not the coach, and have to figure out the minutes situation. That would be tough.”
On team chemistry and ball movement:
“I think being able to move the ball and play the right way, we have guys who can do pretty much everything.
“Figuring that out and figuring it out defensively as well, as much as we think about scoring, we have to defend as well.
“We have to be able to do it on both ends and learn pretty quick.”
Landry Shamet
On joining the Knicks on a non-guaranteed deal instead of waiting for an alternative:
“I want to win, I want to compete, we all do. Anybody in the NBA that says otherwise is lying. We all want to compete at the highest level.
“It’s exciting to be here. Last year was last year. It was what it was. I’m excited to be here and move forward and build with this group.
“Obviously what they’re building here, we’ve watched it for a couple of years now, reaching a good level last year.
“Trying to win, trying to compete at the highest level, that excited me. As it does everybody in this room.
“That’s the biggest piece for sure. I just wanted to be a part of it.”
On reuniting with former teammates Cam Payne and Mikal Bridges:
“It’s awesome, man. It’s cool to be back in the locker room with them, two of the best teammates anybody can have.
“Good energy, good guys. I spent a couple of years with both of them, so to be back here with them is pretty cool, too.”
Jalen Brunson
On Tyler Kolek’s potential:
“Nothing surprises me.
“He works really hard on a daily basis. He put in the work and you’re going to see the results.
“(Sunday) was a first step for him, but I like what I saw and he’s going to continue to work. That’s not going to change.”
“I love [KAT and Jalen Brunson] on paper. … I don’t love that at the end of the game in the playoffs. It’s not scary enough.”
—@imanshumpert on the new-look Knicks pic.twitter.com/aOAdNZYaeD
— First Take (@FirstTake) October 2, 2024
Iman Shumpert (Former NBA Player)
On the Karl-Anthony Towns trade:
“[Karl-Anthony Towns] and [Julius] Randle together would have been nasty, but I totally get that’s the only way you can do the trade.
“KAT fits really well with that team. He fits well with the personalities, the willingness to share. With Brunson, there’s something about that that I really like.
“I don’t know why I like it yet. With these Knicks, you can’t speak too early.”
On Karl-Anthony Towns and Jalen Brunson’s fit:
“We have to make sure we add the right coaching plays and then the coaches stay put, we got a lot of stuff going on in New York. But I’m very excited about this pick and roll coming with those two just because KAT understands spacing and he’s able to stretch the floor as such a big target for Brunson.
“[Towns’] got good hands and he can finish giving Brunson that in a scaled-down version because Julius was a little more than a triple-threat player than a smooth combination of a pick-and-roll that we’re used to.”
On Julius Randle’s style versus Karl-Anthony Towns:
“Julius breaks it off a little bit more to go downhill.
“KAT and Brunson will have better chemistry in that world—they’ll be more Stockton and Malone than the pick-and-pop and somebody drives it.”
On Randle’s Melo-like playstyle and KAT giving Brunson better options:
“They had the pick-and-roll-Melo syndrome, where it’s like Melo from 18 feet. ‘My boy needs nine seconds, we going downhill.’ That’s how Julius goes.
“Brunson gives KAT the ability to get downhill off of somebody having to play catch up and KAT doesn’t get that too often. But when he does, he’s really successful.”
On Towns’ passing abilities and their expanding of the Knicks’ offensive weapons:
“With who they have playing the perimeter, I think as long as they got somebody that can knock down shots, that KAT has available, he can also make that pass.
“He can make that rotational pass, he can make that hook pass in the strongside corner, he’s able to do that by going downhill I’m excited to see that pick and roll.
“I don’t want to speak too early and jinx them. I’m not going to say too much, but excited about the Brunson-KAT pick-and-roll.”
On whether the Knicks will be better off with Towns than Randle:
“Yes, because the styles fit so much better.”