Knicks Open the Preseason with a Win
Who is ready for some overreactions!?!?!?
Final Score: Knicks 99 - Sixers 84
Preseason Record: 1-0
Who is ready for some overreactions!?!?
Let’s start with the starters, shall we…
Mitchell Robinson was part of the first five and quickly reminded folks why a powerful argument can be made that he deserves to stay in the starting lineup for the foreseeable future. Robinson ripped down a game-high 16 rebounds, including five on the offensive end, in just 17 minutes of action. He also chipped in seven points (3-of-6 FGs, 1-of-2 FTs), one assist, one steal and one blocked shot in Thursday’s win.
For the first time in three years, Mitch Rob wasn’t recovering from any surgery or medical procedure during the offseason, which allowed him to train consistently and arrive at camp in great shape. His prowess and potential impact were on full display in Abu Dhabi. He cleaned the glass and patrolled the paint on both ends of the floor—an undoubtedly encouraging performance from the big man.
“That’s kind of what I’ve been doing the whole time I’ve been in New York,” he told reporters after the win. “Just continue doing what I was doing from last year and the year before. Go hard to the glass. The faster we play, the more space we have, and the guys are actually finding me. I just have to be ready at all times.”
As expected, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns joined Robinson in the string unit. The fifth starter, however, was certainly a surprise. Mike Brown told reporters before the contest that OG Anunoby sprained his left hand in practice on Wednesday and would sit out Thursday’s contest. Interestingly, Brown decided to have Pacombe Dadiet start in his place.
On the Knicks’ first offensive possession, Dadiet turned the ball over when he tried to beat his defender baseline but stepped out of bounds. On New York’s next trip down the floor, Pac-Man missed an open three-pointer from the right wing. He did score the Knicks’ first bucket on an athletic reverse layup, but unfortunately, that was the 20-year-old’s only made field goal.
Dadiet missed all five of his three-point attempts and finished the contest 1-of-6 from the floor with more turnovers (3) than rebounds, assists, steals and blocks combined (2). Of course, we won’t read too much into the 15 minutes of meaningless preseason action. Brown has praised Dadiet’s progression during the first week of training camp and during offseason workouts. The form on the kid’s jumper still looks smooth, and he flashed some of the defensive upside that has excited fans and the coaching staff.
Still, as expected, Brown starting the baby-faced sophomore generated plenty of buzz on social media. Since the moment it was revealed that New York signed Landry Shamet, Malcolm Brogdon, and Garrison Mathews, speculation began to bubble up regarding the immediate future of Dadiet and Tyler Kolek.
As we have detailed in depth, due to limited cap space under the second apron, the Knicks will be forced to trade one of the 12 players with guaranteed contracts to retain two veterans.
By starting Dadiet on Thursday, were the Knicks showcasing him to drum up trade interest? Are they giving him an opportunity to earn a spot on the roster, and potentially the rotation?
As for the rest of the starters, Brunson finished with six points (2-of-8 FGs, 2-of-4 FTs) and four assists. Interestingly, the Knicks’ first two offensive sets featured JB playing off the ball, on the strong side. Brown has voiced his objective to reduce Brunson’s workload by having his teammates facilitate the offense at times.
On that same note, KAT was the recipient of a dribble handoff on that first trip, something we rarely saw last season. He caught the ball in motion, going downhill, quite a few times, drawing fouls in the process (earning his way to the free-throw stripe for eight attempts). Towns ended his evening with 11 points (2-of-4 FGs, 7-of-8 FTs), five rebounds, one assist and one steal in 17 minutes. It’ll be fun watching KAT unleashed in this pass-heavy, motion offense.
The Knicks’ leading scorer on Thursday was another player potentially being considered for the fifth and final starting spot. Deuce McBride racked up 12 points, five rebounds, two assists, three steals, and two three-pointers across 21 minutes in the victory over the 76ers. His jumper was in midseason form, as he knocked down five of his seven FG attempts.
“It’s been a fun adjustment being able to come in with coach Brown in a new offense,” McBride told reporters after the win. “We’re playing with a lot more pace and space. It’s been fun to be able to create for myself and others.”
Our first glimpse at Brown’s uptempo Princeton-esque offense was definitely one of the main takeaways from Thursday’s victory. New York had 24 fast-break points vs. the Sixers. To put that in context, the Knicks averaged 11.6 fast-break points per game during the 2025 playoffs.
NY also held Philly to just ten fast-break points. Last postseason, the Knicks allowed their opponents to score 15.2 fast-break PPG.
Yet, despite his club moving with obvious alacrity, Brown stated he wants to push the pace even more. “We have to play faster, and we can play faster,” Brown declared. “It being the first time we’ve seen another colored jersey, and so at times we looked a little confused – a lot of times – but we will be better. It was great because our guys got a taste of how fast we need to play. And they know we still have to take it three or four more notches.”
Other Takeaways and Knicks Notes:
🏀 The scariest moment of the opener occurred early in the second quarter, when Josh Hart fell to the floor in pain after chasing down a rebound. Hart (who was ejected for tossing the ball into the stands in frustration) was able to get up on his own, but he limped to the locker room, holding his back.
Brown wasn’t able to provide much info after the game, but fans were able to breathe a sigh of relief when the team officially listed him as “day to day” with a sore lower back. Hart was also joking on Twitter and tweeting his support for the Yankees a few hours later, which certainly seems encouraging. We should have an update on his status after Friday’s practice.
🏀 Jordan Clarkson pumped in nine points on 4-of-9 shooting off the bench in his Knicks debut. At one point, Brunson, McBride and Clarkson shared the floor together. That grouping would have a tough time getting stops, but should be able to spark the offense immediately if the Knicks are struggling to score… Guerschon Yabusele also made his first appearance in the orange and blue, but missed all four of his FG attempts and was scoreless in his 12 minutes of action.
🏀 The three veterans competing for a roster spot all looked good on Thursday. Landry Shamet was just 1-of-4 from the floor but handed out a couple of assists and was aggressive on the defensive end… Sharpshooting Garrison Mathews was locked in as soon as he checked in, drilling his first three triples… Malcolm Brogdon knocked down a three-pointer and dished out a pair of dimes in 12 minutes off the bench. Brogdon would have had a few more assists, but his teammates ended up missing makeable shots off good passes. The contest was a bit chaotic at times (as preseason openers often are), yet Brogdon brought a calming presence to the game. He is healthy, and if he avoids an injury over the next few weeks, it’s probably safe to assume he will make the opening day roster. Having a player with his experience, resume and talent on a veteran minimum contract is substantial.
🏀 Tyler Kolek started out slow but gained confidence late in the second half, finishing with six points on 3-of-7 shooting… Ariel Hukporti logged only six minutes, but made the most of his limited time. He made his presence felt on both ends, tallying six points (3-of-4 FGs) and six boards. As we saw last winter, before he injured his knee, Huk has the size, strength and athleticism to make an impact in the league… Mohamed Diawara and Kevin McCullar Jr. were a combined 0-of-9 from the floor in the fourth quarter. Still, McCullar was active defensively, pilfering three steals, and Diawara pulled down three boards and made some nice passes.
🏀 Here is what James Edwards of The Athletic wrote after the game regarding the roster-crunch situation:
“Dadiet, per league sources, is the end-of-bench player I’ve heard most as it pertains to New York having trade discussions with other teams. Furthermore, I’ve heard Dadiet has had a good summer, and Brown said as much to reporters before the game. It’s certainly possible Dadiet outplays the aforementioned veterans and the Knicks decide to keep the prospect over a 10th or 11th man. However, all signs so far have pointed to the Knicks leaning toward keeping two vets.”
🏀 Incredibly, Deuce will make $4.3 million this season and even less (just $3.9 million) in 2026-27! He is undoubtedly in the conversation for best value contact in the NBA
🏀 Karl-Anthony Towns was a guest on the latest episode of Network with Rich Kleiman. When asked what would happen if the Knicks win a championship, KAT replied, “God knows I’m gonna be asleep on the street somewhere in front of Madison Square Garden.”
He also said he still has “great communication” with former coach Tom Thibodeau. “I can’t wait for (Thibs) first game back,” said KAT. “That first day back at MSG to watch us play…the crowd’s gonna act like it’s game six again.”
🏀 Speaking with reporters after practice on Tuesday, Mike Brown again confirmed that he will prioritize limiting starters’ minutes during the regular season, drawing a clear contrast between him and his predecessor.
“The biggest thing is trying to make sure you watch everybody’s minutes instead of trying to chase games,” Brown said. “There might be some games where maybe you throw the towel in early. It’s important to win, but you also have to understand, ‘Hey, I want to keep this guy’s minutes here, this guy’s minutes here, this guy’s minutes here, instead of trying to extend everybody’s minutes.’ Because if the season is long, we don’t want anybody worn out by the end.”
🏀 As ESPN’s Brian Windhorst reported on Wednesday, that was something Brown harped on during the interview process. Per Windy: “Part of the reason he got this job was that he told the Knicks front office he was going to play his bench more.” He said, ‘Get me more bench depth. I will play that bench.’ That is what they intend to do.”
🏀 Josh Hart told the NY Post earlier in the week that he feels it is unfair that Towns was scapegoated for the Knicks’ failure to beat Indiana in the Eastern Conference Finals and instead thought he should shoulder more of the heat.
“I thought [KAT] played well in the playoffs. I mean, hey, I think the only one who should get blamed is me,” Hart said. “I had a terrible — I think I played well in Detroit, played well in Boston. With Indiana, I just didn’t have nothing left.”