On Saturday, March 8, the New York Knicks added 14-year NBA veteran P.J. Tucker on a 10-day contract.
According to SNY’s Ian Begley, the Knicks view Tucker as an ideal locker room veteran.
“Knicks see PJ Tucker as an integral addition to a locker that has young veterans but none with the experience of Tucker brings,” Begley posted on X. “The 14-year vet will be received well in the room, has championship experience.”
Begley continued.
“Knicks also wanted someone with an enforcer mentality, which is why they’ve targeted Tucker. Knicks and Tucker are planning on a 10-day deal, as ESPN first reported. Club has a need at center but Knicks people who targeted Tucker believe the center position can be covered between Karl-Anthony Towns, Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa.”
The Knicks have an open roster spot. However, they clearly want to take a closer look at Tucker before potentially offering him a deal until the end of the season.
Tucker is a former NBA Champion and would undoubtedly be a valuable member of New York’s locker room. However, whether he could earn any legitimate playing time for Tom Thibodeau’s roster is unclear.
Knicks Without Jalen Brunson For At Least 2 Weeks
Jalen Brunson suffered a sprained ankle during the Knicks’ March 6 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. In an update from the ‘Knicks PR’ account on X, Brunson will be out of the rotation for at least the next two weeks. New York will then provide an update on the All-Star guard’s fitness and recovery timeline.
“Jalen Brunson sustained a sprain to his right ankle,” Knicks PR posted on X. “An update on his status will be given in approximately 2 weeks.”
Brunson has been exceptional this season. He’s averaging 26.3 points, 3 rebounds and 7.4 assists on 49% shooting from the field and 38.4% from deep. Without Brunson’s scoring and playmaking, Thibodeau must get creative. The Knicks lack any genuine shot creation outside of their talismanic point guard.
Knicks Tom Thibodeau Looking For Team to Step Up
During a March 6 postgame news conference, Thibodeau noted that no one can replace what Brunson brings to the rotation. Instead, he’s looking for his team to step up as a unit, as they look to tread water until the All-Star is back in the rotation.
“Everyone has to step up,” Thibodeau said. “The thing is, you’re not replacing Jalen individually. You’re doing that collectively…The margin of error is smaller. We have to play with great intensity on every possession.”
The Knicks have added multiple high-level players over the past 18 months. Mikal Bridges, Towns, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart can all step into more prominent offensive roles.
Therefore, New York will likely adopt an ‘offense by committee’ mentality. Thibodeau will need a balanced scoring output across the board. As such, he may need to adjust his rotations to ensure there’s a balanced offensive load throughout games.
Ankle sprains come in different grades, each one with its own recovery timeline. The hope is that Brunson can be back in time for the postseason. Ideally, he will have some time to rebuild his fitness before the opening round.
Either way, the Knicks postseason preparations have suffered a major blow. It will be interesting to see how they navigate this latest setback.
