New York Knicks guard Josh Hart reacts in the third quarter during game six of the eastern conference finals. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Knicks Insider Sounds Off on Starting Lineup Debate

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Aug 19, 2025 9:00 AM ET

The New York Knicks are going into the season with a bit of a question mark in regards to their starting lineup.

The Knicks could keep things the same as the year before with their original starting lineup of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns. However, there is a possibility that they swap out Hart for Robinson, citing poor performances from the original starting five in the postseason.

The Athletic insider James Edwards III broke down the issue between starting Hart or Robinson.

"The starting lineup of Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Hart, OG Anunoby and Karl-Anthony Towns struggled in the postseason, despite the team making the Eastern Conference finals. That five-man group played a playoff-leading 335 minutes together and had a minus-6.2 net rating. Midway through the postseason, former head coach Tom Thibodeau, with a push from Hart himself, swapped Robinson into the starting lineup," Edwards wrote.

"That Brunson, Bridges, Anunoby, Towns and Robinson lineup didn’t set the world on fire, but it performed better than the previous starting group (albeit with a smaller sample size). The new starting lineup had a minus-3.7 net rating in 65 total playoff minutes."

New York Knicks center Mitchell Robinson warms up prior to game three of the second round Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

With a new head coach in Mike Brown, different wrinkles could be on the table for the Knicks. They could opt to keep Hart there or mix it up with Robinson.

Edwards believes the Knicks will end up going with the latter option.

"Ultimately, I think Brown and his staff end up inserting Robinson into the starting lineup permanently in order to best maximize the defense. My guess as of mid-August is that Robinson will be the first player to come out of the game for [Guerschon] Yabusele so that New York can lean into a more five-out system, with Towns shifting to center," Edwards wrote.

A lot of developments will take place between now and training camp, so the situation is far from set in stone. Ultimately, the Knicks will do what they feel is best as they try and make it back to the NBA Finals for the first time since 1999.

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

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