The New York Knicks reportedly stayed out of an aggressive pursuit for Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, which makes sense given the team might have had to part ways with players like Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby. Therefore, they sought other ways to improve their roster.

The first addition they made was acquiring New Orleans Pelicans guard Jose Alvarado. A player who's been a reserve most of his career, Alvarado is showing his impact early in New York, averaging 14.0 points and 3.7 assists across three games. Additionally, they added one more player after the deadline.

Already with a loaded guard rotation, the Knicks went to replace what production they were looking for in Guerschon Yabusele by acquiring San Antonio Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan, who was waived by the franchise.

Sochan, the 9th overall pick from the 2022 NBA Draft, started a majority of his games in his first three seasons, but has fallen out of the rotation in San Antonio this year.

Speaking on the subject, Knicks reporter Ian Begley spoke about what the Knicks see in their new addition.

"The Knicks see as defensive versatility, upside, a player who can handle the ball, and this is a significant addition for New York because this was a player that the Knicks targeted at the trade deadline," Begley said.

Sochan stands at 6-foot-8, 230 lbs, giving him the versatility to cover wings, bigs, and even some guards. In terms of what he brings offensively, he's not a jump shooter by any means, but shot 70.7% at the rim last season for the Spurs. He also adds playmaking, averaging 2.6 assists per game in his career.

"They feel like now they have 15 players under standard NBA contracts that they feel comfortable playing," he added.

Looking at the Knicks roster with Sochan, Pacome Dadiet is the only player on a standard contract that likely won't see any action this season, regardless of injuries. Otherwise, all 14 players on the team have played or will play a role in the second half of the season.

Now with six guards that they can trust to play and two forwards off the bench with potential, the Knicks are looking like a better team now than when they made the Eastern Conference Finals last season.

With All-Star weekend getting underway, the Knicks won't return to action until February 19th, when they have a rematch against the Detroit Pistons, where they'll need all hands on deck against a team that has had their number.