Karl-Anthony Towns missed a stepback three on his first shot attempt. Mikal Bridges misfired on a corner three and then Bridges missed a floater along the baseline. And it seemed a good time to remember this is preseason and the first minutes this group has played together.

The ball didn’t quite hop like this before. If there’s any takeaway from the Knicks’ preseason opener against the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday—the first of five exhibition games before the Oct. 22 regular-season opener against the Boston Celtics—it’s the free-flowing offense on display from the new-look team.