Should Knicks change starting lineup with 2026 NBA playoffs on horizon?

The Knicks have been swimming upstream for almost two years.

They have won 50 games the last two seasons and advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals last season, despite trotting out a starting lineup that has produced diminishing returns.

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The unit, which features Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, and Karl-Anthony Towns, has been middling at best. The five-man group is outscoring opponents by just 0.7 points per 100 possession this season.

At this point, we’ve seen enough. The starting unit has played 494 minutes together this season, the third-highest in the NBA. Last season, it was the most used five-man lineup in the NBA, hitting the court for 960 minutes.

Initially, the starting five looked elite. Through the first three months of the 2024-25 season, the combination was outscoring teams by 6.6 points per 100 possessions in 561 minutes. But those numbers dropped by the end of the season. The playoffs saw the group reach its nadir. The starters were outscored by 6.2 points per 100 possessions in 335 minutes together.

Former Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau opted to change the starting lineup during the middle of the Eastern Conference Finals last season, inserting center Mitchell Robinson for Hart after Game 2. New York began this season with Robinson in the starting lineup, but went back to Hart quickly.

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Thibodeau’s replacement Mike Brown went to Robinson as a starter initially before going back to Hart after an injury to Anunoby in November. New York has gone back to the original five-man unit ever since.

San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) controls the ball against New York Knicks guard Mikal Bridges (25) and center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) during the third quarter at Madison Square Garden / Brad Penner – Imagn Images

Slow starts

There are several factors contributing to why the lineup hasn’t thrived. Opponents discovered that they can put a wing on Towns while having their center guard Hart. It has mucked up the paint, and disrupted New York’s offensive flow.

Hart is having a career year from three, making 40.9 percent of his attempts. But he can still…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/knicks-change-starting-lineup-2026-131500202.html

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Publish date : 2026-04-06 13:15:00

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