New York Knicks: Predicting the starting lineup by season’s end

With the start of the New York Knicks’ 2019-2020 season on Oct. 23rd, a clear sense of which players will find themselves in the starting five on opening night has yet to come to light. But as important as who will start that opening game is which players will establish themselves as starters by the end.

The 2019-2020 New York Knicks roster has raised many questions as to the identity of the new-look Knicks. With an interesting mix of young prospects and veterans vying for minutes, and all indications that the competition for roster spots has already begun, who will be in the starting lineup when the season opens on Oct. 23 against the San Antonio Spurs is still up in the air.

But with a crucial season of development ahead for one of the youngest teams in the NBA, perhaps more important than the players starting the first game of the season are those who will be starting the last.

Looking at the Knicks roster going into the start of the 2019-2020 season, there are not many positions where there is a guaranteed starter on the roster to begin the season. Still, there are a few educated guesses that could be made about this team:

Barring any injuries or signs of regressing wildly in the preseason, Mitchell Robinson starts at the Center from Day 1.
Similar to Robinson, unless Julius Randle gets injured or either Bobby Portis or Kevin Knox shows to be the best pairing with Robinson in the front court, Randle projects to be the best player on the team heading into the season and most likely starts at Power Forward from Day 1.
Despite Frank Ntilikina‘s impressive FIBA World Cup and Alan Hahn’s endorsement, RJ Barrett is the most exciting player on the roster and should see time in the starting 5 immediately, to see if he can be a player to build the future around.

RJ Barrett may prove to be the X-factor in determining the starting five to begin the season, namely where head coach David Fizdale plays him. If he starts at the shooting guard, does Elfrid Payton start alongside him at point guard to provide some defensive and creative support? If so, does Knox start at the small forward and the team hopes he can string together a better sophomore season than his rookie campaign?

To start the season, general manager Scott Perry and Fizdale may each flex some creative control and insert their pet project players into the starting five, leaving the following lineup to open against the Spurs:

Point Guard: Elfrid Payton
Shooting Guard: RJ Barrett
Small Forward: Kevin Knox
Power Forward: Julius Randle
Center: Mitchell Robinson

But will these players establish themselves as the best lineup for the Knicks? Or will changes be made throughout the season as certain players on the roster breakout?

The guard positions may be where the Knicks see the biggest shakeup, where the Knicks currently have nine players on the roster vying for minutes. If pre-season rumors are to be believed, this year may be a breakout season for Dennis Smith Jr.

While Smith Jr. may not make a leap straight to an All-Star level, small improvements across his game could see Smith Jr. establish himself as a building block for this young team. Small improvements to his jump shot so that defenders have to be wary of his outside shooting in off-ball situations could go along way in opening up the offense for the rest of the team. Similarly, if Smith can avoid dribbling into double teams and passing out when he draws in defenders, we could see his assist total jump past his already respectable 5 per game into the top percentile of guards.