New York Knicks: David Fizdale teases changes to starting lineup

After the fifth game, New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale will look into changes for the starting lineup.

Head coach David Fizdale opened training camp with five questions as the New York Knicks head coach, one for each spot in the starting lineup. It was an open competition that made Trey Burke, Tim Hardaway Jr., Frank Ntilikina, Lance Thomas and Enes Kanter as the winners.

Four games into this group’s work together, they sit at 1-3. All three losses were contested and even saw the Knicks ahead at one point, but late-game runs from the opponents—the Brooklyn Nets, Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks—created the outcomes.

Well, after four games, Fizdale said he will reevaluate the starting lineup, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. It won’t happen until after Wednesday’s game against the Miami Heat.

"“Maybe I’ll look at tweaking something if we can’t get that group going,” Fizdale said. “I don’t want to do it to the detriment of the second unit. That unit is building some nice chemistry. I’ll get into the film after the Miami game and really evaluate the five games of basketball, assess it and make decisions from there.”"

If a change happens, as Berman noted, Thomas’ is potentially in jeopardy, despite his role as a defensive specialist. Noah Vonleh has impressed in a backup role for the Knicks, with 8.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in just 17 minutes, and may stand as the beneficiary.

Outside of that, it’s difficult to see any of Burke, Hardaway, Ntilikina or Kanter exit the starting lineup. Points per game alone hold the backcourt and the Turkish center in place, while the Frenchman’s 29.5 minutes per game and versatile defensive role maintain his spot.

However, if there’s an additional change on the way, at least for one game, it provides someone else from the second unit an opportunity.

Allonzo Trier, Mario Hezonja and Damyean Dotson have produced in spurts. Maybe not to secure a consistent starting spot, but enough to open the eyes of the staff. It would be an upset to see any of those three replace one of the incumbents, but after Ntilikina’s surprise entry as an off-ball starter, will Fizdale plan something else after the Miami game?

The Knicks play the Heat on Wednesday. With a day off afterward, before Friday’s game against the Golden State Warriors, look for a potential lineup change before the end of the week, given Fizdale’s aforementioned timetable.