Feb 28, 2025; Memphis, Tennessee, USA; New York Knicks forward OG Anunoby (8) reacts with center Mitchell Robinson (23), guard Tyler Kolek (13) and guard Josh Hart (3) after defeating the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

Knicks Held Back by Starting Lineup Questions

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Aug 23, 2025 1:00 PM ET

Among the questions that the New York Knicks must answer before this fall's start to the regular season, one of the bigger concerns is how they plan on settling the starting lineup dispute.

Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby are each set in stone, but there are analysts and fans who waffle back and forth as to whether they should be joined by their versatile wing in Josh Hart or Mitchell Robinson< /a>, the "true center" who cleans up for Towns on defense.

Hart spent the entirety of the Knicks' previous regular season running with the starters, leading the league in minutes per game as a hustle-minded utility man who never left once he stepped on the court. He was replaced by Robinson in one of the Knicks' final, desperate attempts at remaining alive in the playoffs, but that question of the fifth starter's yet to be fully resolved amidst the offseason's dry spell.

New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson David Butler II-Imagn Images

Bleacher Report certainly kept the matter in mind, ranking the Knicks' starting lineup as the NBA's eighth-best. The team's improved their depth after already coming within a round of the NBA Finals and have a new coach to lead the contending era, but that wasn't enough to spare New York from seeing several conference rivals top them in this ranking.

"On paper, this looks like an elite starting lineup featuring two All-Star starters with some premier defenders stacked between them," Greg Swartz wrote. "Unfortunately, the New York Knicks were only mildly defeating other teams with their starting lineup (plus-4.1 net rating) largely due to a leaky defense that allowed 115.8 points per 100 possessions.

"We'll see if new head coach Mike Brown experiments with two-big starting lineups that feature Mitchell Robinson at center in an attempt to fix the defense. This would mean bumping Josh Hart to the bench, a tactic we saw at times in the 2025 playoffs. Having a full year under their belts, the Knicks' opening unit should be at least slightly better."

That issue of how well the combination of star scorers and name-brand, two-way wings fit together was a major storyli ne in 2024-25, with Brunson and Towns failing to demonstrate much in the way of offensive chemistry while Bridges fell short as the defensive stopper and efficient play-finisher he was billed as.

Many blamed former head coach Tom Thibodeau for his inability to create offensive synergy between his key players, placing the pressure on Brown to work off of his mistakes. The Knicks have generally been ranked higher than their starting lineup would suggest this summer, making the Hart-Robinson race one of the must-watch storylines for Knicks fans to follow before October.

This article first appeared on New York Knicks on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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