Knicks insider projects major beginning lineup change this year
A New york city Knicks insider predicts that first-year head coach Mike Brown will execute a big modification to the team’s Knicks’ starting five this season.Brown, worked with to replace previous five-year head coach Tom Thibodeau even after the latter led New York to a 51-win season and its very first Eastern Conference Finals berth in 25 years, remarkably catered his Sacramento Kings teams to his star players’offensive proclivity– a significant change from his prior stints assisting the defense-first Cleveland Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers. Thibodeau, to his credit, proved relatively adaptive throughout his last postseason run
with New York, changing his own very first 5 to fit the progressing requirements of various playoff series.Mike Brown Might Implement a Drastic Change for New York City James L. Edwards III of The Athletic projects that one of Thibodeau’s playoff lineups could supplant his preferred 2024-25 routine season beginning lineup consisting of All-NBA point guard Jalen Brunson, shooting guard Josh Hart, All-Defensive little forward Mikal Bridges, All-Defensive power forward OG Anunoby, and All-NBA center Karl-Anthony Towns.Knicks ‘forecasts: Way-too-early depth chart surprises, rotations and starting lineup modifications https://t.co/zuHYCZOrQ7!.?.!— James L. Edwards III(@JLEdwardsIII)August 18, 2025 Edwards believes that injury-prone center Mitchell Robinson, whom Thibodeau slotted into his starting lineup when Hart’s shooting fell off a cliff throughout the playoffs, will ultimately supplant Hart on Day 1
, shifting Towns, Anunoby, and Bridges down a position, and developing a jumbo-sized frontcourt.”Let me start with this: I think Josh Hart deserves to be a starter, and if he winds up not being one (as I anticipate), I believe it states more about the Knicks and Brown wishing to improve the defense than it does Hart, “Edwards notes.”Having Mitchell Robinson as the anchor of the frontline will help do that. Moreover, if there were to be a starting lineup change, Hart would handle it the best of anyone in last season’s beginning lineup.”In 2023-24, Hart was a reserve behind starter Donte DiVincenzo. New york city had to throw in DiVincenzo’s contract, together with headliner Julius Randle and some draft equity, as part of a 2024 summer offer to make the money work in the offer that brought Towns to Madison Square Garden.MORE NEWS:’Odd guy out’Knicks protect likeliest to be traded this year, insider claims”The starting lineup of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Hart, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns struggled in the postseason, regardless of the team making the Eastern Conference [Finals],” Edwards observes.”That five-man group played a playoff-leading 335 minutes together and had a minus-6.2
net score. Midway through the postseason, previous head coach Tom Thibodeau, with a push from Hart himself, switched Robinson into the starting lineup.”Robinson is an athletic rim protector, and can help man the middle while Towns extends the flooring.” That Brunson, Bridges, Anunoby, Towns and Robinson lineup didn’t set the world on fire, however it carried out better than the previous beginning group (albeit with a smaller sample size). The new starting lineup had a minus-3.7 net rating in 65 overall playoff minutes.”Edwards makes another strong prognosis: that Hart won’t even be the very first guy off the bench for New York. Instead, Edwards thinks new totally free representative signing Guerschon Yabusele will be subbed in first for Robinson, keeping the Knicks ‘frontcourt big.MORE NEWS: Karl-Anthony Towns shares importance of Carmelo Anthony in his very first Knicks season