Should Knicks Change Starting Lineup?

The New York Knicks rolled with the same starting lineup for majority of last season, but things changed in the playoff series against the Indiana Pacers.

In the middle of the Eastern Conference Finals, head coach Tom Thibodeau swapped out Josh Hart in favor of Mitchell Robinson, hoping to add more size to the first unit.

While there may be speculation on how new head coach Mike Brown will tackle the starting lineup, Bleacher Report writer Zach Buckley thinks the Knicks should return to their original first five: Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart and Karl-Anthony Towns.

"The Knicks are fully convinced this is a championship core. That was, in essence, the entire point of ousting Tom Thibodeau despite him having just coached the club to consecutive 50-win seasons and its first Eastern Conference Finals berth in a quarter-century," Buckley wrote.

"Other than the coaching change, New York kept pretty quiet this summer, even declining a possible Kevin Durant pursuit. The Knicks trust this quintet to take this franchise over the proverbial hump and claim its first NBA title since 1973.

"New coach Mike Brown might handle his rotation differently than his predecessor, but he won't touch the first five."

The Knicks could still make a big move this summer, but it doesn't appear that a big change is likely for one of the East's top teams.

New York needs to develop the chemistry built in Year 1 for this top-tier roster and it is hard to do that when there is constant change right at the top.

Changing out Tom Thibodeau for Mike Brown will already be a massive change for the Knicks, so they don't need any more shocks to the system, otherwise the wheels could begin to fall off.