Most believe the New York Knicks will add a third center to the depth chart, if not before training camp then most certainly prior to opening night. As it turns out, though, they might be inclined to soldier onward with Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond as their only two bigs.
Loosely translated, this means we should get ready to see more lineups that don’t feature a center at all.
In his latest mailbag over at SNY, insider Ian Begley follows up a note about the Knicks’ interest in Tony Bradley by downplaying the urgency behind their search for another big man. “The Knicks do not currently have a third center,” he writes, “but there is a strong degree of confidence internally in the Karl-Anthony Towns-Andre Drummond duo at the position.”
Internal confidence doesn’t automatically mean the Knicks won’t sign a third center. But the context of this belief implies it’s a possibility. And if it’s one New York ultimately explores, Mike Brown will have no choice other than to test more lineups without a true big man.
The Knicks could be prepping for an increase in small-ball
It’s fair for the Knicks to believe they have their two primary centers in place. Towns is a superstar, and Drummond is about as well as you can do when only spending the league minimum.
Employing both still doesn’t mean New York has 48 minutes worth of center play in the bag. Rumor has it that players sometimes miss games. Who knew?! There will be nights in which KAT or Drummond catches a breather. One or both could end up missing time with an injury, too.
There will also be matchups in which Drummond tilts toward unplayable. While many believe he can approximate a bulk of Mitchell Robinson’s value, he has never matched his predecessor’s mobility, post defense, or even deterrence at the rim.
Fresh off his 33rd birthday, Drummond isn’t getting more athletic or dynamic on defense. Without an alternative backup center on the docket, this alone invites the Knicks to trot out more lineups featuring OG Anunoby, Mohamed Diawara, or even Josh Hart as the de facto 5.
Those lineups, to be sure, will never be a full-time default. But any uptick represents a substantial one.
Last year, the Knicks racked up just 86 minutes without a center, across both the regular season and playoffs. The returns weren’t great, but the sample size isn’t large enough to draw any profound conclusions. That’s about to change if New York’s 14th roster spot goes to another non-center.
The writing is already on the wall
People will dismiss this notion until the roster is finalized. Even then, the prevailing belief will be that the Knicks are biding time for the right Mitchell Robinson succession plan to reveal itself before the trade deadline.
Still, New York may already be tipping its hand beyond Begley’s latest sentiments.
Though big men like Bradley and Drew Eubanks are on the radar, the Knicks reportedly have eyes for John Konchar, a shooting guard. They were also among the finalists for Ben Simmons, who in addition to not being a center, would fit the conceptual motif of no-big lineups.
As further food for thought, Stefan Bondy of the New York Post is already talking about the importance of Diawara getting stronger so that he can potentially guard stretch 5s.
Nothing here qualifies as ironclad proof that the Knicks will lean harder into no-center arrangements. But there’s enough evidence to suggest it’s a possibility—if not their plan all along.
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