Knicks are taking massive gamble with new starting five

Mike Brown finds himself in a catch-22 situation entering his first season as head coach of the New York Knicks.

On one hand, it makes perfect sense for him to stick with the starting lineup of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored 117.7 points per 100 possessions last season — the second-best offensive rating among lineups that played at least 400 minutes together. 

On the flipside, Brown is also justified in replacing Hart with Mitchell Robinson for defensive purposes. After all, the aforementioned starting unit struggled mightily on defense last year, allowing 114.4 points per 100 possessions and barely outscoring teams to eke out wins. 

New York Knicks have a new starting five

Through the first three preseason games, Brown has gone with the latter strategy, keeping Robinson in the starting unit. The Knicks are 3-0 in those games. Granted, it's not wise to read too much into exhibition contests, but the Knicks held their opponents to sub-40% shooting in two of those games, setting the tone early on defense.

Robinson has likely done enough to earn himself a starting role when the Knicks tip off their season against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Oct. 22. 

Josh Hart is the team's heart and soul

That decision also means a bench role for Hart, who has been the team's heart and soul since arriving in New York midway through the 2022-23 campaign. 

Last season, Hart averaged career-highs in rebounds (9.6), assists (5.9), steals (1.5) and minutes (37.6), while logging 13.6 points per game. He also led all Knicks in minutes, as well as various hustle metrics such as loose balls recovered and deflections per minute.

Hart's relentless energy also meant he was 13th in the NBA in rebounds — an incredible feat for a 6-foot-4 guard. In fact, he was the only non-big man in the top-20 in rebounds, often banging with players twice his size and never giving up on possessions.

The Knicks are clearly taking a big gamble by relegating Hart to a bench role. Their playmaking, rebounding and hustle will surely suffer, even if their rim protection improves with the insertion of Robinson.