The New York Knicks have been playing solid basketball in the ongoing NBA campaign, enhanced by the great contributions they have been getting from the bench. It is a facet of their game that NBA legend Charles Barkley has been impressed with and moved to highlight.
On “Inside the NBA” on Christmas Day, Sir Charles shared that what the Knicks bench has been doing has been a difference-maker this season and has him grown convinced that New York could take the Eastern Conference.
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“I said the Knicks are gonna win the East. Shout out to the guys that fixed their bench. Their bench is finally playing. I watched a couple of games in the NBA Cup and that was the difference in the game and that was the difference last year,” Barkley said. “They are playing their bench [this season]. That was the only knock on Thibs (former coach Tom Thibodeau), who is a terrific coach. You have to play those guys.”
NBA Cup Finals
The bench players’ significant improvement in play for the Knicks this season was clearly evident during the NBA Cup Finals last week. While the starters, as always, led the charge, auxiliaries Jordan Clarkson, Mitchell Robinson and Tyler Kolek stepped in big time, which allowed them to outlast the San Antonio Spurs.
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Clarkson, who the team signed as a free agent in the offseason, and Kolek provided the offensive spark in key junctures in the second half to keep in step with the Spurs. They finished with 15 and 14 points, respectively. Robinson, meanwhile, played only 18 minutes but was stellar off the boards, collecting 15 rebounds, as well as on defense on the Spurs’ big men, including Victor Wembanyama.
“OG Anunoby, Tyler Kolek, Jordan Clarkson, Mitchell Robinson, they played their a– off tonight. Now, without them, we don’t win this s**t. We don’t win this, they played their a– off tonight,” Jalen Brunson, the NBA Cup most valuable player, underscored following their 124-113 victory over the Spurs in the championship game.
The NBA Cup title was the first hardware the Knicks have won since they clinched the NBA title in 1973 and won the Eastern Conference in 1999. More importantly, it was further validation of their standing as a bona fide title contender this season.
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Bench at it again on Christmas
The bench stepped up again for the Knicks in their 126-124 comeback win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Christmas Day at Madison Square Garden.
Down 107-91 with eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter, the trio of Clarkson, Mitchell and Kolek once again conspired to help put their team in a position to charge back and win. Clarkson and Kolek went on scoring binges, with the former scoring seven of his 25 points during their comeback, including hitting consecutive three-pointers.
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Kolek scored 16 points, going 4-of-5 from three, while Mitchell went scoreless in 17 minutes but collared 13 rebounds, eight of them on the offensive end, which resulted in second-chance baskets for the team.
“Our bench basically won the game for us. They put us in position down the stretch,” New York coach Mike Brown described the gutsy win.
With the bench now an integral part of the Knicks more than ever this season, Barkley may have something going with his take of New York winning it all in the East. There are still a lot of games left to be played, but with more guys to turn to, the Knicks are on firmer ground.
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This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Dec 26, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.