Knicks: 4 potential starting lineups for the 2020-21 season

Possible Knicks starting lineup: Elfrid Payton, Alec Burks, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson

Do we hate winning? Because this is the kind of lineup you start if you hate winning.

We could argue that each of the players listed above is the best option the Knicks have on the current roster at their respective positions, but when RJ Barrett is the second-best 3-point shooter on the floor at any given moment – let’s just say it’s not going to be a good time.

This lineup might have had limited success in the early 2000s, but with the lack of floor spacing this cast of characters possesses, along with subpar defense as a unit, it wouldn’t bring forth enough offensive firepower to compete in the modern NBA. Let’s hope Thibs ditches his old ways of playing his veterans 40 minutes per game, forcing the younger guys to have to fight for scraps, and instead focuses on developing the future of this team by giving them real playing time.

On the bright side, I would just like to comment on how much I am in love with the Alec Burks signing. Not only is he the sole fresh face on this core group of starters, but he came to New York on the cheap! Some would say Burks is a budget Joe Harris, and the numbers support that. Both men played about 30 quality minutes per game. Burks averaged 15 to Harris’ 14.5 and shot roughly 40 percent from long range. Of course, Harris was the better of the two from deep but 38% and 42% are not too far off from each other over an 82-game season. Burks was also the better facilitator of the two.