Examining Rotation Changes Knicks Could Make as They Look to Defend Title

There isn't anything wrong with changing things up despite the recent championship win.

Here's what the Knicks could do differently with their lineup in the 2026-27 NBA season. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Knicks won the championship just two months ago and looked dominant doing it. But that doesn't mean that they can't get even better.

Despite losing Mitchell Robinson to free agency, there are some lineup and rotation changes they can implement to take yet another step in their road to repeating as NBA Champions.

Rotation adjustments the Knicks can make to improve their championship outlook

The first change is to play Deuce McBride more alongside Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Last season, McBride shared the floor with Brunson for just 535 minutes, and with Towns for just 586 minutes. That may seem like a lot, but that ranks as the 20th and 16th highest two-man combos in the league. Those two combos shared the floor less often than Jordan Clarkson and Mikal Bridges.

Now, some context is needed. McBride's injuries played a significant role in his limited minutes with Brunson and Towns. But it's still something the Knicks should be able to lean on more frequently. Brunson and Towns are clearly the best players on the team, and they spent much of their pre-championship seasons with their jobs made more difficult. The lack of spacing Josh Hart and RJ Barrett provided hurt Brunson in past seasons, while Towns often found himself operating with suboptimal lineups as well.

databallr.com

McBride may be limited in what he can do. But what he can do greatly maximizes the ceilings of the best players on the team. His defense can help relieve some of the perimeter defensive responsibilities of Brunson, while his elite spacing gives both Brunson and Towns much more room to operate with on offense. The two-man lineup of Brunson and McBride produced a net rating of plus-12.5, which is the highest among the 25 two-man lineups with the most minutes played last season. Meanwhile, one consisting of McBride and Towns produced a net rating of +9.6. Simply put, McBride needs to play more with them.

Another bench player who should see more minutes alongside Towns is Jose Alvarado. Now slated to play his first full season in New York, Alvarado is expected to have a significant role as the true backup point guard the Knicks were looking for.

Alvarado played 257 minutes with Towns last season, and the pairing produced a whopping plus-18.2 net rating. In the 155 minutes Alvarado played without Towns, he had a net rating of minus-7.3, so it's clear that he benefits greatly from Towns' improved defense and offensive abilities. But the benefit goes both ways. Towns had a net rating of +6.0 in 1878 minutes last season, so he too plays better when Alvarado is on the court. And it makes a lot of sense.

A look at how Jose Alvarado plays with and without Karl-Anthony Towns. | databallr.com

When Towns plays with Brunson, a lot of the offense flows through the captain. While the pairing, and the team in general, learned how to play more through Towns, it's still Brunson's offense much of the time. But when Alvarado comes in for Towns, it's a different story. We've seen the reserve point guard make a concerted effort to get the ball to Towns early and often. He may try harder than anyone else on the team. With Alvarado here from day one this season, don't be surprised to see his chemistry with Towns continue to improve.

And don't be surprised to see a strong offensive season from Towns.

One final change

The last change that the Knicks should implement isn't something they should do more of: they should avoid it.

Some of this is due to a small sample size. It's also true that what they learned in the postseason could make some of this null. But of the 25 five-man lineups with the most minutes, Shamet or Clarkson replacing Anunoby, Bridges, or Hart in the starting lineup accounts for three of the four worst lineups net rating-wise. Again, it is a small sample size.

The Knicks have a good idea of what their best lineup combination could be. | databallr.com

All of them, except the one where Shamet is replacing Hart, have played less than 50 minutes. But the defense has been atrocious in those two, with a defensive rating over 138. It's not something the Knicks went to often. But even if New York were to run into some injury troubles this upcoming season, they should do their best to avoid those three lineups.

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