Six takeaways after first pre-season game

One small concern, and a bunch of really good things coming out of game number one

After what felt like a very long off-season filled to the brim with rumors, trades, and contract extensions finally came to an end, Knicks fans’ desire for basketball to return was finally quenched last night as New York took on and defeated the Charlotte Hornets in their preseason opener. And that means it’s time for overreactions. It’s just one game, and a rather meaningless one at that, but here are our biggest takeaways after day one.

The starting lineup will take time to gel

When the Knicks acquired Karl-Anthony Towns just over a week ago, the starting lineup was a big topic of discussion. New York’s newest center would allow them to play with a lot more spacing and flow compared to years past. But it was evident last night that this new look starting lineup, which has barely had any time to gel, still has a lot of kinks to iron out.

On a couple of occasions, Jalen Brunson took too long to find an open Towns up top. There were plays where Josh Hart clogged up the paint unnecessarily. Mikal Bridges cut at an inopportune time when Brunson looked like he was trying to attack the paint. Towns himself missed shots he usually makes. Overall, it looked like there was an understandable level of hesitancy from everyone. And that’s okay. Teams don’t just completely change the starting lineup and the playing style and adapt to it overnight. Think about how the LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh starting lineup in Miami took about a quarter of the regular season to really gel.

The good news though, is that the potential is there and some of it was even flashed last night. Towns started the game off with a very deep 30-foot three-pointer for his first basket as a Knick, and it gave a glimpse of just how easy he could make things for Brunson. The newest Knick also made some very nice passes to Brunson, Hart, and OG Anunoby when they cut. And you could see not only just how crisp his passing was, but also how much quicker his decision-making is than Julius Randle’s. So there were very encouraging signs. But just remember, there will be growing pains, and that’s okay.

Karl-Anthony Towns flashed some really nice things

As noted above, Towns gave us all a preview of what’s to come. He hit a deep three, made some really nice passes, and then had a drive from the top of the key, where he was moving more like a small forward and not a center. And that’s only on the offensive side of the ball.

Towns didn’t have any significant defensive highlights, nor did he dominate on that end of the floor in his limited minutes. But we did get a closer look at how Towns would look in Tom Thibodeau’s drop coverage.

It’s not perfect, and there will surely be times when Towns makes defensive mistakes that make fans want to pull their hair out. But there were also some encouraging signs from Towns on the defensive end, something fans worried about when the trade went down.

Deuce McBride seems primed to take yet another step

Despite not playing much in his first two seasons, McBride emerged as a pivotal part of the Knicks’ rotation last season and it remained that way throughout the playoffs. With the likes of Immanuel Quickley, Donte DiVincenzo, RJ Barrett, and Quentin Grimes now gone, McBride will be relied on to take yet another step in his development. And with how the Knicks have reportedly treated him during trade conversations, it’s clear that the organization views him as an incredibly valuable piece- one that they likely believe in a lot.

Well, last night against Charlotte, McBride proved them right. From the moment he stepped onto the floor, he was aggressive and confident. And throughout the night, he looked like a player ready to take on a bigger role. In 25 minutes of action, McBride scored 22 points on 8-18 shooting and 4-9 from three. Regardless of whether he ends up starting or not, the fourth-year guard is likely looking at anywhere from 25-30 minutes a night and could be a dark horse Sixth Man of the Year candidate.

Cameron Payne will go down as a surprisingly nice pickup

When the Knicks acquired Payne, many didn’t think much of it, with some not even liking the pickup. But Payne was impressive last night. Despite shooting just 1-7 from three, Payne’s ability to conduct the second unit’s offense and act as its quarterback was evident. He was able to read when to push the pace and when to settle down, and his confident yet calm orchestrating of the pick and roll was noteworthy.

And if I had to pick one beneficiary of Payne’s presence, it’d have to be McBride. With Payne now running the offense as the de facto point guard, McBride doesn’t have to focus on playmaking-something he struggled with last season. He can now be aggressive and continue to look for his own shot while Payne takes care of the point guard duties. If he can continue to do that while being a pest defensively, he should carve himself a nice bench role.

Landry Shamet and his shooting will quietly be one of the biggest x-factors to the season

Shamet won’t replicate Donte DiVincenzo’s stats from last season. In fact, he likely won’t even come close to it. But the Knicks don’t necessarily need him to. With Bridges, Anunoby, Hart, and McBride taking up the bulk of the wing minutes, Shamet won’t be required to play the 25-30 minutes that DiVincenzo played last season. Instead, Shamet should only be looked at to play 15-20 minutes when the team is healthy. And during those minutes, New York only needs him to space the floor and keep defenses honest- something Shamet did a wonderful job of last night. The journeyman shooter saw a dip in his outside shooting numbers last season but gave fans some hope in the win against Charlotte as he went 6-11 overall and 4-8 from three in 27 minutes.

Now, when a player’s one reliable ability is shooting and they can’t get consistent minutes or shots, they can sometimes be inconsistent. So Shamet will have his ups and downs. But if the coin flip that is Shamet and his shooting can land in favor of the Knicks more often than not, they may be able to withstand DiVincenzo’s departure a bit better.

Tyler Kolek will become the new Immanuel Quickley

Kolek has talent. Kolek has game. Kolek has confidence. Knicks fans thought it when he got drafted. Now, Knicks fans believe it. Last night, Kolek came into the game in the second half and within seconds, knocked down an off-the-dribble three-pointer with what looked like a cleaned up and improved shooting form with a faster load up and release. And the rookie point guard never looked back. In 14 minutes, the former Marquette Golden Eagle scored 11 points while shooting 3-5 from three.

Now, this doesn’t mean that Kolek will or won’t be as good as Quickley was during his rookie campaign. What it could mean though, is that he’ll get the same kind of treatment that Quickley got. With McBride set to become the feature guard in the second lineup and Payne being the backup point guard that the veteran-reliant Thibodeau likes, Kolek may see limited minutes this season regardless of how good he looks. And when/if he does, fans will be all over social media clamoring for the rookie to get more minutes, just like Quickley and even McBride heard and saw. That’ll lead to some very interesting discussions and it won’t be easy for Kolek. And it’s ultimately a great problem to have for a Knicks team that can use all the assets and controllable cheap deals it can get right now. But just know, that regardless of how good he plays and how much the Knicks and Thibodeau like him, the minutes he’ll see, especially at the beginning of the season, are sure to be limited and situational.