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Insider Questions Knicks Upcoming Rotation

What will the New York Knicks rotation look like under new head coach Mike Brown?
Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown instructs his players against the Atlanta Hawks. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown instructs his players against the Atlanta Hawks. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images

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The New York Knicks are figuring out what their rotation will look like going into the upcoming season.

With new head coach Mike Brown in charge, there are a lot of scenarios that could take place. The Athletic insider James Edwards III took a stab at what he thinks the Knicks will run during the regular season.

"My hunch is that Brown will consistently use a nine-man rotation. Here is who I think it will consist of: [Jalen] Brunson, [Mikal] Bridges, [OG] Anunoby, [Karl-Anthony] Towns, [Josh] Hart, [Mitchell] Robinson, Miles McBride, [Jordan] Clarkson and [Guerschon] Yabusele," Edwards wrote.

"I don’t think the Knicks have the depth to go 10 deep, though it may benefit the organization to find occasional minutes for someone like Pacôme Dadiet. New York could still use a backup point guard, as I view McBride more as an off-ball guard. However, if the Knicks were to use their final veteran-minimum spot on Landry Shamet, which I’m led to believe is a real possibility, McBride will likely be the backup point guard."

Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Miles McBride
Atlanta Hawks forward Jalen Johnson drives to the basket against New York Knicks guard Miles McBride. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

The Knicks are in need of a deeper rotation after seeing a few of their top players struggle towards the end of the season and playoffs. That was a big reason why the Knicks made the difficult decision to fire Tom Thibodeau and bring in Brown to replace him.

Brown employs a more typical nine or 10-man rotation and the Knicks made the moves in the offseason to ensure that they had enough capable players that could tackle playoff minutes.

The Knicks are hoping that these changes will be what they need in order to remain one of the top contenders in the Eastern Conference, especially the additions of Yabusele and Clarkson, who both signed with the team in free agency.

Having Yabusele and Clarkson come off the bench will be a major relief for players like Hart, Bridges and Anunoby, all of whom were among the top players in minutes in the league last season.

If this relief can give them fresher legs for the playoffs, the Knicks might have what it takes to reach the NBA Finals and possibly win it all.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener.