One of the most popular topics of debate regarding the New York Knicks this offseason has been about who Mike Brown will start. Will he start Mitchell Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns together? Will he start Deuce McBride in place of Josh Hart? The good news is that training camp and preseason are almost here, so it won't be some big mystery for too much longer.
At Media Day on Tuesday, Towns was asked if he had a preference on who should be in the starting lineup. He said that his only preference is winning.
Karl-Anthony Towns is asked if he has a preference on the Knicks' starting lineup:
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) September 23, 2025
"My preference is winning. That's the only preference I got." pic.twitter.com/UTZaPd2udT
If you thought KAT would sit in front of the media and say who he believed should start, think again. Frankly, it's not his decision to make. It's too early to make that decision, anyway.
Mike Brown has training camp and preseason to tinker with different lineups. The new head coach didn't have an answer to that question, either.
Asked Brown if he knows his starting lineup: "It will materialize throughout camp. It's too early to say this is going to happen."
— James L. Edwards III (@JLEdwardsIII) September 23, 2025
Karl-Anthony Towns gives his preference on starting lineup
The Towns trade changed everything for New York last year, with the Knicks turning into one of the top offenses in the league. That changed in the second half of the season, but it wasn't until the playoffs (Mitch didn't make his season debut until March) that Tom Thibodeau changed the starting lineup by starting Robinson alongside KAT.
Towns' former team, the Timberwolves, acquired Rudy Gobert in 2022, starting him alongside Towns. It ultimately resulted in Minnesota storming its way to the conference finals in 2024, which was KAT's last season with the team.
The best way to maximize New York's offense is to keep Towns at the five, but start Deuce over Hart, giving the Knicks another shooter. Opposing teams would put a big on Hart last season, knowing he isn't a threat as a shooter, which resulted in the lane being clogged. A fix for that would be starting Deuce.
Perhaps that will be what Brown decides works best, but that doesn't mean there won't be times when Robinson and KAT share the floor.
Whatever happens, it doesn't matter to Towns as long as the Knicks are winning. The good news is that the Knicks should do that. New York may not win as many games as it did last season (51) as Brown tries different lineups and uses a deeper rotation, but the goal is to make it to the postseason without the starters barely crawling across the finish line.