The New York Knicks have come to recognize that depth tends to play a massive role in a team's ability to hoist the Larry O'Brien trophy come season's end.
If anything, utilizing their bench more often would likely have a positive affect on the long-term health of their superstar point guard Jalen Brunson, a change that would further increase the Knicks' chances of claiming an NBA title.
New York acquired microwave scoring guard Jordan Clarkson and versatile frontcourt game-changer Guerschon Yabusele this past offseason to revamp their reserves, but their bench production has unfortunately remained a disappointment from a scoring perspective to begin the 2025-26 season.
Just 10 games into the new campaign, the Knicks' bench has registered a No. 27 ranked offensive rating of 51.6. In the midst of their struggles, Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley recently proposed a trade that would supply the 2-time All-Star Brunson and New York's 5-time All-Star center Karl-Anthony Towns with yet another reliable bench scoring force and a former Sixth Man of the Year candidate.
"Things still spiral whenever the 'Bockers turn to their bench. Among rotation regulars, Miles McBride is the only non-starter with a net differential better than minus-7.1," Buckley wrote Wednesday.
"Having a reliable leader for the reserve unit could do wonders for this club, and maybe (Ty) Jerome can fill that void."
"A calf strain has delayed his start to the season, but last year, he was a Sixth Man of the Year finalist while averaging 12.5 points and 3.4 assists to go along with a 51.6/43.9/87.2 shooting slash."
In a hypothetical trade to give the Knicks' bench rotation an added boost, Buckley has the Memphis Grizzlies agreeing to part ways with their newly-signed, crafty guard Ty Jerome in exchange for Yabusele, Pacôme Dadiet and Tyler Kolek along with a top-four protected 2026 first round draft pick.
Following a breakout season with the Eastern Conference's No. 1 seeded Cleveland Cavaliers (64-18) in 2024-25, Jerome decided to ink a 3-year, $28 million deal with the Grizzlies to back up their 2-time All-Star point guard Ja Morant.
With Morant's apparent displeasure growing amidst Memphis' horrid 4-8 beginning to the new year, there could be a chance for New York to nudge the franchise closer to slamming the reset button by giving away their valuable free agent addition.
The 28-year-old Jerome has yet to appear with the Grizzlies this season due to a calf strain, but he'll aim to make a major impact upon his return to action.
In 70 appearances and just three starts with the Cavaliers in 2024-25, Jerome headlined Cleveland's superb cast of reserves and placed No. 3 in Sixth Man of the Year voting by averaging an uber-efficient 12.5 points and 3.4 assists in just 19.9 minutes of work.
Jerome's ability to carve lanes to the rim with an unorthodox handle and blistering three-point shooting efficiency allowed him to knock down a career-best 57.0% of his two-point attempts and boast a ridiculous 43.9% three-point shooting clip on 3.6 attempts.
If the Knicks were to get this deal across the finish line to pair the Sixth Man of the Year finalist with Clarkson, the 2021 Sixth Man of the Year award winner, New York would no longer have to worry about losing their offensive continuity when Brunson checks out of any given contest going forward.
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