The New York Knicks rebuilt their reserve depth this offseason, as was evidenced throughout their convincing 99-84 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday to start off the NBA preseason.
New York’s revamped bench unit dominated for the entirety of the second half, but one of the franchise’s more under-the-radar signings made his presence felt while simultaneously complicating things for the franchise’s front office.
After signing with the Knicks on an Exhibit 10 contract on Sept. 16, three-point specialist Garrison Mathews began his debut with the team on a heater, as he connected on his first three shots from distance before missing his fourth and final attempt.
According to a recent update, Mathews’ impressive outside shot-making may have done enough to steer attention away from more notable training camp additions like Malcolm Brogdon and incumbent role player Landry Shamet, two names that were previously viewed as near-locks to make the final roster.
“Heading into their first preseason game, it was rumored that the Knicks would make a trade in order to keep both Landry Shamet and Malcolm Brogdon,” FanSided’s Atticus O’Brien-Pappalardo wrote Thursday evening.
“However, after a blistering shooting performance from Garrison Mathews, Mike Brown’s decision just got harder.”
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“While Brogdon and Shamet certainly seem like the frontrunners for one or both of the spots, assuming the Knicks do make a trade, Mathews just make things a whole lot more interesting, after going 3-of-4 from three, along with one rebound, and two assists in just over nine minutes of playing time in the Knicks’ 99-84 preseason win over the 76ers.”
While it may have been viewed as an impossible task prior to the Knicks’ meeting with the 76ers on Thursday, Mathews’ nine-point, two-assist and one-rebound effort successfully drove some attention away from Brogdon, the league’s 2017 Rookie of the Year and 2023 Sixth Man of the Year.
Though it has come as a shock that Mathews has inserted himself into conversations of making the regular season roster over a player of Brogdon’s caliber, the former has gained valuable experience as a six-year veteran with a career 38.2% three-point percentage on 3.9 attempts.
Even if Mathews needs to remain perfect for the rest of the preseason in order to land a guaranteed deal with New York, his lights-out shooting ability could become more of an attractive option over the next few weeks, especially if Brogdon appears to struggle.
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