With two pre-season matches in the books, Knicks fans got a promising first look at their new squad after the shocking trade for an All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns.
While we have yet to see a regular season game, which comes with more questions and adjustments, their expected opening night rotation is starting to take shape.
With that in mind, let’s project the player lineups and the head coach Tom Thibodeau is expected to run with to start this new season.
The initial five appear set in stone. Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, AND Anunoby, Josh Hart and Towns started the first two preseason games and will likely be the starting unit in Boston.
There are many reasons to support these five. It likely includes New York’s five best players, allows for seamless, suffocating switching between the two and four spots, and pairs Brunson with two of his former teammates from Villanova and Towns at center, spacing the floor.
However, there could be modifications made down the line to watch out for if things aren’t clicking as they’re supposed to. Miles McBride is the current sixth man, but he certainly has a case for taking Hart’s spot based on his superior three-point shooting.
McBride can be switched defensively, but putting him in could hurt the Knicks on the defensive boards — and takes a primary screener out of the lineup. While some fans are calling for this change now after two quiet offensive outings from Hart, they shouldn’t expect one until a solid 10+ games into the regular season.
Another look could be to slide Towns to the four and put a traditional edge protector in the center. But with Mitchell Robinson out until December or January and their next choices are Jericho Sims and Ariel Hukportithis is likely to remain a situational aspect more than any sort of permanent solution.
So with the first five in tow, McBride will be the first off the bench after a breakout year and playoffs that led to a 22-point opening in the preseason. While he replaced Bridges the first game, Brunson was the first to sit Wednesday night. But with McBride sidelined by illness it was Cameron Payne who took his place.
It will be interesting to see which starters Thibodeau decides to play heavily with the bench unit. He would usually leave one of Brunson or Julius Randle playing the entire first quarter last season, saving the other for an early second-quarter substitution and minimizing minutes played without either star.
New York has a little more eligibility this year with Bridges, Anunoby and Towns able to bring up reserve units for stretches. Towns got his taste when Thibodeau played him for the entire three quarters last game.
Their two wings won’t have their usual scoring volumes alongside Brunson and Towns, so expect them to get solid opportunities off the bench. Bridges is the iron man of the NBA and Thibodeau will not be afraid to use him as such.
Smart money would be on Brunson or Bridges playing the entire first quarter and the back half of the second. Then Towns or one of the other starters would do the same in the second half.
Depending on whether Thibodeau wants to run an eight- or nine-man rotation, Hart could see a chunk of minutes to fill gaps with either unit. That will also determine how many bookings we will actually see on game night.
After McBride, Precious Achiuwa appears to be the go-to big man, capable of playing either the four or five. Thibodeau can go for size and a more traditional center in Sims, but Achiuwa is the more developed piece right now, and units with both will look awkward.
With two near-but-locked-in bench players, it will be either or both of Payne and Landry Shamet filling the lineup. Thibodeau spoke highly of both veterans coming out of training camp and he gave them significant minutes in two preseason games.
Tyler Kolek however complicates matters after some remarkable performances. His play is reminiscent of a rookie Immanuel Quickley sneak in and steal a rotation spot in 2020-21 — something Kolek is capable of doing if that continues.
The answer to this bench rotation may just come down to who rolls and who the Knicks play in a given matchup. They have the possibility to go big with Achiuwa and Sims, or small with the forwards and three bench guards.
Preseason and training camp are the only samples available so far, but the real weight will be on the regular season. If a backup isn’t playing up to par, Thibodeau won’t hesitate to drop them from the rotation in favor of someone who could.
Of course, injuries are also starting to take their toll. So even if there is a preferred rotation already in mind, anything can overturn it in an instant. This is a projection though, so here’s the best guess from what we’ve seen so far:
PG: Brunson 35 | Payne 13
SG: Bridges 22 | McBride 26
SF: Anunoby 27 | Bridges 13 | Shame 8
PF: Deer 35 | Anunoby 8 | Achiuwa 5
C: Cities 35 | Achiuwa 13
We’ll ultimately see where the Knicks go, but this much is clear: their starting five is one of the best in the league, and they have some optionality around them. The pieces are there, but can Thibodeau maximize them to become a championship team?
