The New York Knicks have turned their focus towards constructing an exemplary bench unit prior to the beginning of the 2025-26 campaign.
Following the firing of ex-head coach Tom Thibodeau and subsequent introduction of new lead strategist Mike Brown, the franchise will be aiming to receive plenty of production out of their reserves, especially their latest signees Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele.
Though the Knicks have been able to land several marquee role players this summer, their wing depth could use some more attention in the wake of recent injury news concerning the team's jack-of-all-trades forward Josh Hart.
After helping to lead the Knicks to the 2025 Eastern Conference Finals, the team announced Wednesday that Hart underwent a procedure on his finger to repair an injury sustained during their playoff run. While he is expected to be ready for the beginning of next season, the team may add a low-risk, high-reward player that could fill in for Hart in certain packages. As a result, the Knicks could look to negotiate a deal with unrestricted free agent guard and 2020 NBA champion with the Los Angeles Lakers, Talen Horton-Tucker.
At just 24 years old, Horton-Tucker has displayed some clever on-ball scoring prowess since entering the league in 2019. Where Hart lacks, Horton-Tucker excels, potentially making him an intriguing free agent candidate.
The 6-foot-4, 234-pound guard-forward hybrid possesses an eerily similar frame to the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Hart, but their styles could not be more different.
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Horton-Tucker's all-around offensive skillset could be looked at as valuable to a team like New York, as they'll be hunting even more on-ball scoring talent to support Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
In just 58 appearances with the Chicago Bulls in 2024-25, the smooth and agile guard contributed 6.5 points and 1.7 rebounds on a 52.7% effective field goal percentage in only 12.5 minutes.
The former No. 46 overall pick in the 2019 Draft by the Orlando Magic surely has plenty of room to grow as a defender, and that's where New York's concerns would lie.
On the other hand, adding another semi-reliable on-ball offensive engine to fill up spot minutes might not sound like such a bad option.
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