Jan 17, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks forwards Jacob Toppin (00), Mikal Bridges (25) and guard Jalen Brunson (11) at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Knicks Minutes Balance Expected to Persist as Key Storyline

Originally posted on New York Knicks on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Aug 20, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The New York Knicks had plenty of issues to solve entering this summer's offseason, but none were as pressing as the general question of how they should build on their newfound momentum.

The Knicks entered last season's playoffs without the respect of some of the conference's bona fide contenders, but trucked their way all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals behind several impressive series wins to force their way into next season's list of potential title favorites. The front office went all in on their once-doubted player corps, prioritizing adding the depth they once lacked over their longtime head coach.

Out went Tom Thibodeau and his infamous over-reliance on his starters, and in came Mike Brown, a similarly successful coach who was much more likely to utilize all of the tools at his disposal. The Knicks are facing a different set of expectations than they've seen all century, and many will judge Brown's lineup management as the true test of whether he'll usher in a new status quo.

ESPN considered that matter of minute management when determining one stat that can swing every team's fortunes in 2025-26, with Zach Kram settling on one simple number: 940.

That's the amount of minutes that usual starters Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby and Josh Hart played together in 2024-25, by far the most of any five-man unit. "That was to be expected given ex-coach Tom Thibodeau's preferences," Kram remarked.

New York Knicks Center Karl-Anthony Towns and Forward OG Anunoby Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

They mixed stars with name-brand, two-way wings to fill in the gaps, but failed to live up to expectations during a first rocky regular season together. The Knicks' defense slipped while the scorers failed to cohesively mix, a feature that had to adapt to during the playoffs.

Thibodeau, attempting to save the season and his job, took just too long to pull the plug on that specific lineup combination.

"Under new head coach Mike Brown, with two more reliable reserves (Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele) in the fold, New York's starters probably won't spend quite so much time together this season," Kram wrote. "But they can't just play less often; they also need to play better in their second season together for New York to reach its first Finals this century."

Those supplementary scorers are expected to take some of the minutes soaked up by the workhorses in last season's lineup, as well as Mitchell Robinson, the long-time Knicks center who looks like a candidate to potentially start as the dirty worker alongside the offensively-inclined Towns.

The Knicks have a wide-open shot at the Eastern Conference given the amount of their recent rivals who look like they may be already down for the count next season or facing a steep uphill battle, and the manner in which Brown manages the rotation will largely determine what comes next.

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

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