Knicks and Mike Brown are getting more minutes and production from bench

When Mike Brown made his debut as Knicks head coach on opening night, he opened eyes by inserting 11 players into the game within the first 13 minutes. By the time the Knicks had finished off a win over the Cavaliers he used 10 players for at least 12 minutes each.

It seemed a hint of the change that would come, a first indication that the expectations of the coaching search were going to be realized. Critics in the organization had pointed to the heavy minutes Tom Thibodeau played his starters, to the struggles of the bench and to the lack of development of those players.

Through 45 games this season, the numbers show the Knicks (27-18) have seen improvement from the bench.

The bench is producing 84.2 minutes per game (23rd in the NBA), 32.6 points per game (27th in the NBA) and 16.1 rebounds per game (17th in the NBA).

The Knicks ranked last in the NBA last season in bench minutes per game (63.5), bench points per game (21.7) and bench rebounds per game (10.1).

Their net rating for bench production has gone from -4.6, which was 12th in the NBA last season, to +3.4, third in the NBA this season. Net rating shows a team's point differential per 100 possessions.

Brown talked in the preseason about not pushing his players too hard, noting his experience with Golden State’s championship runs, and said, “The biggest thing is, trying to make sure you watch everybody’s minutes instead of trying to chase games.”

Last year’s most-used bench contributors included Cam Payne, who couldn’t land an NBA job this season and is playing in Serbia; Precious Achiuwa, who was cut by the Heat in the preseason before landing with the Kings; and Delon Wright, who is out of the league. But the Knicks still made it to the Eastern Conference finals and even used some bench pieces in vital roles.

The Knicks made moves in the offseason to boost their bench, adding Guerschon Yabusele and Jordan Clarkson as free agents. But Yabusele quickly lost his minutes early in the season and is averaging just 9.2 minutes per game in 38 games. Clarkson, after providing an early-season scoring punch, has had his minutes cut. He did not play in Saturday's win against the 76ers. In a one-sided loss to Dallas on Jan. 19, he played 1:42 in the first quarter and was benched the rest of the game. He didn’t play in the Knicks’ most lopsided victory in their history last Wednesday against the Nets until the fourth quarter. Clarkson played a season-high 22.2 minutes in December, but is averaging just 16.7 in January.

“I can help any team in the league. I helped win here,” Clarkson said. “You seen it early on in the year. I know I got a lot left in my tank. I know I can impact winning anywhere. I’ve impacted winning here in the short time that I’ve been here winning games. So I’ve just got to stay prepared and control what I can control.”

As the season has worn on, Brown has made decisions about using his bench that are not static. In Saturday’s win over the 76ers, Jalen Brunson played 38 minutes and Mitchell Robinson played a season-high 27 minutes. Even with Karl Anthony-Towns limited to just 16 minutes by foul trouble, Brown used just eight players for nearly the entire game — only plugging in Yabusele for a brief first-half run and Ariel Hukporti for a vital four-minute stretch in the fourth quarter.

“It can be tough to get him in the rotation,” Brown said of Clarkson. “Obviously, Deuce [McBride], played well, Mitch [Robinson] played well and Landry [Shamet] played at a pretty high level before he got hurt. And so trying to find minutes for those guys — as well as for our starting group — is tough. I can’t even hit the minute threshold for all those guys I’m looking for. It can be tough from time to time.”

Some of the bench's production this season has come from health. Robinson sat out much of last season and he has been a force again on the boards and defensively. McBride has been one of the Knicks' most productive players with a team-best 12.4 net rating, according to Cleaning the Glass. The Knicks are also better with McBride on the floor, averaging 8.9 points per 100 possessions and allowing 3.5 less points per 100 possessions defensively.

Production explains some of the adjustments by Brown. Clarkson has a -7.0 net rating while Yabusele is a -8.6. Last year’s first-round pick, Pacome Dadiet, has played less than anyone. Mo Diawara has started games and sat out many. McBride and Shamet have been regular rotation pieces along with Robinson, forming a strong eight-man rotation with the starters.

Brown has been open to experimentation, trying all kinds of combinations, even closing the win in Philadelphia Saturday with a lineup he had not used once this season. The Knicks have had 11 different players start games already in 45 games. He’s given opportunities to young players — and taken them away. Tyler Kolek emerged as a contributor earlier this season. But with the roster at full strength he didn’t play in Philadelphia either. It's the second time Kolek sat in the last seven games.

“Some nights that’s going to have a huge onus on it,” Shamet said of the bench. “Some nights it’s not. Some nights it’s just going to change. I’ve been saying that the entire time I’ve been here because we have that group, it’s a carousel. Some nights it’s going to be a heavy bench night where we come in and pick it up. Other nights our first five have it going and the ball doesn’t find us as much. That’s the beauty of our team. We’re built that way."

By Steve Popper

steve.popper@newsday.com@StevePopper

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.