National Basketball Association

New York Knicks: Brandon Jennings Best Bet Is Being Sixth Man

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The New York Knicks signed quality players this offseason in hopes of returning to the postseason. Brandon Jennings will play a crucial role off the bench.

Derrick Rose‘s recent verdict brought strong mixed reactions. On one hand, New York Knicks fans are happy that he can return to the floor and be ready for the opener this Tuesday against the reigning champion Cleveland Cavaliers.

On the other, it’s hard to look past the evidence that was made public, which painted a bad picture of Rose’s character. HoopsHabit’s own Gerald Bourguet laid out these feelings perfectly in his recent column.

Rose’s return also means that Brandon Jennings will return to his role of coming off the bench. While Jennings didn’t shoot efficiently in preseason (31.1 percent from the field), he did a great job bringing energy to any of the four guys he was running with.

His flashy passes, confident presence, and high effort quickly spread through the team. It also gave the fans at Madison Square Garden something to cheer about during a preseason game!

The assumption is Rose will be included when the starting lineup is announced at Quicken Loans Arena, and that’s the way it should be. Question marks surrounded Rose even before his off the court issues of whether or not New York would be a good situation for him to revitalize what once was a historic career.

While the questions will remain until proven otherwise, the best option for the Knicks this season is to keep Jennings as their sixth man for as long as they can. Obviously, if Rose is injured or playing terribly for a string of games, the lineup will change, but Jennings will bring exactly what this Knicks bench needs.

THE BRANDON JENNINGS ERA HAS BEGUN IN THE MECCA https://t.co/sgNI0ZDZ1I

— PLATINUM B-WOBBIT (@World_Wide_Wob) October 16, 2016

The second line for New York is projected to take on something similar to Jennings, Justin Holiday, Lance Thomas, Kyle O’Quinn, and Willy Hernangomez. Out of these names, Jennings is by far the most talented. The confidence and energy that he has shown thus far leaves much room for optimism that it’ll bleed into the production of his surrounding cast.

It’s a good problem to have if you’re the Knicks. Quite honestly, they played this part of the offseason perfectly. Both Jennings and Rose are both on one-year deals, which means they both have to prove their worth right away if they plan on landing a big contract next summer.

Whether that be with the Knicks or some other team, New York will get the brunt of the benefits when it’s all said and done.

The Knicks are pushing for their first playoff appearance since the 2012-13 season. Since then, they’ve won a total of 86 games in three seasons. The roster looks great on paper, the big thing to watch is how it all meshes once the games count. Going 4-2 in preseason is a good sign, but only so much can be taken from those games.

One thing is for certain. To have a good team in this league, the bench rotation is critical. Depth plays a huge in a team’s success.

The Knicks are finally looking like they can throw out some quality players behind their strong starting five, and Jennings will need to be the spark plug.