Knicks Need Starting Lineup Change

The New York Knicks are considering a change to the starting lineup going into the season.

The team had Josh Hart in the starting lineup for most of the season, but Mitchell Robinson took his place during the Eastern Conference Finals. ESPN insider Zach Kram thinks the Knicks could continue that change going into the 2025-26 campaign.

"The five-man lineup of Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns played 940 minutes in the regular season, by far the most in the NBA. Only one other lineup (the Timberwolves' starters at 714) reached 500 minutes. That was to be expected given ex-coach Tom Thibodeau's preferences," Kram wrote.

"But contrary to expectations, the Knicks' starters didn't mesh all that well, despite their Villanova connections and theoretical positional balance. The group finished with a plus-3.2 net rating, which sounds OK but is actually below-average for a high-usage lineup; the 50 five-man units with the most playing time this past season finished with an average net rating of plus-5.0, according to an analysis of NBA Advanced Stats data. Then in the playoffs, New York's starters had a minus-6.2 net rating, as the team relied on lineups with reserves Mitchell Robinson and Miles McBride to reach the conference finals."

New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson dunks the ball against the Indiana Pacers. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

On paper, the Knicks' starting five looked great, but it could be better. The Knicks could experiment with Robinson and Towns in a two-big lineup as well, which could give some opponents fits.

Brown will figure out what path is the best moving forward when he has everyone in the same gym for training camp, but there are arguments for him to keep the starting lineup as-is.

Hart is someone who can set the tone, especially on the defensive end. That's someone that can thrive either in the starting lineup or off the bench. If Hart were to come off the bench, he would be an early candidate for Sixth Man of the Year.

Hart works well in lineups with Brunson as someone who does the dirty work, so the Knicks might prefer him to be a starter.

Either way, Hart should still see about 30 minutes per game as the Knicks need him in order to be successful.

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