However, Quickley and Toppin are likely to take big steps in their second years following a rushed rookie campaign. On top of that, if Mitchell Robinson can stay healthy, Nerlens Noel slides into that bench unit, bolstering their rim protection.

Rose finished third in Sixth Man of the Year voting last season, despite spending much of his season toiling in Detroit or on the injury report. Entering a full season under the Tom Thibodeau-led Knicks with a stronger point guard rotation top-to-bottom should allow Rose to perform even better. That he’s starting-caliber and resigned to the bench immediately gives New York an edge over most of the league’s sixth men.

Even digging further down the list, the Knicks have reliable options down to their third string. Taj Gibson may be the league’s best third center. Kevin Knox can come in and knock down 40% of his catch-and-shoot threes. Quentin Grimes and Miles McBride are unproven rookies, but it would take quite the emergency to get them involved.

There’s no doubt the Knicks have a formidable bench unit and depth beyond it, but how do they stack up with the rest of the league?

The East’s two behemoths - Brooklyn and Milwaukee - boast a hodgepodge of journeymen that may compete with New York’s sophomores, but include no Rose or Noel level contributors. Boston’s bench is essentially first-to-third year guys, Josh Richardson and Al Horford - solid but inferior.

Chicago and Miami are paper thin having spent most of their cap space on their shiny new All-Stars. Indiana would be stacked if they weren’t so hurt, pushing their bench pieces into the starting five.

Potentially the biggest second unit challenge the Knicks will face will be against the Atlanta Hawks. They run extremely deep at the center position with Gorgui Dieng and Onyeka Okongwu backing up Clint Capela. Danilo Gallinari and Kevin Huerter could start on many other teams.

Their backup point guard rotation will depend on how good Sharife Cooper is in year one, but they make up for it on the wings. Cam Reddish, Solomon Hill and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot all available as plug-and-play guys is a nice luxury.

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