Former Celtics Center Makes Bold Knicks Prediction

The New York Knicks could be better than the Boston Celtics this season.

Dec 8, 2023; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; New York Knicks forward Julius Randle (30) moves the ball against Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard (11) during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images | Eric Canha-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks have reason for concern after losing Mitchell Robinson for the first month or so of the regular season as he recovers from his offseason surgery.

However, it's all about perspective. Losing Robinson is a big blow to the Knicks, but that's now how ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins sees it.

The former NBA champion believes Robinson's absence will help the Knicks unlock their optimal lineup with Julius Randle at center and give the team the best record in the league.

"They’re gonna finish with the best record in the NBA, and Tom Thibodeau should have a sigh of relief right now," Perkins said on "NBA Today." "When it comes down now to being able to experiment with Julius Randle at the five position until Mitchell Robinson gets back, now you don't have to have that conversation when Mitchell Robinson comes back. He's going to bring him in off the bench. I love the idea of Julius Randle playing the five alongside OG Anunoby being a somewhat stretch four."

When Robinson went down last season, Isaiah Hartenstein stepped in and made a big impact for the Knicks. New York was better with Hartenstein in the starting lineup over Robinson, which is why Thibodeau kept the former in as the starter even when the latter returned.

That, however, doesn't mean that the same will happen now. Hartenstein was a true center and rim protector, and Randle doesn't quite fit the mold for that. While putting Randle in at center may allow the Knicks to play their best five players by adding either Josh Hart or Donte DiVincenzo to the starting lineup with Mikal Bridges and Anunoby on the wing, it doesn't guarantee that the team will have the best results.

Perkins' take isn't completely out of left field though. If Randle can embrace the small-ball center role and teams can't work around it, the Knicks could get off to a strong start on the season.

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