One of the New York Knicks' biggest issues under former head coach Tom Thibodeau was their extensive reliance on a starting lineup that did not reward that faith. Early in his tenure as the team's new coach, Mike Brown has been leaning on the same group to start games. Before the Knicks' loss in overtime to the Pacers, the coach was asked about the lineup and acknowledged its biggest issue on his own: opponents putting their centers on Josh Hart, because he isn't a 3-point sharpshooter, makes things tough for everyone else. Brown says they're working on it.
Knicks' starting lineup puts their best talent on the court (at a major cost)
In response to a question from The Athletic about the team's starting lineup, which Brown credited his assistant coaches earlier in the season for encouraging him to deploy, the coach said things were trending up.
"Getting better. Reality of it is, teams put their 5 on Josh and 4 on KAT. We've started to get a little more comfortable, starting with me, in dealing with that offensively. Like I've said, we've made some changes defensively...I know I'm getting more comfortable, think the guys are too," Brown told reporters at Madison Square Garden.
Many would consider Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns to be the five best players on the Knicks, but their fit together was suspect at best over the course of such a large sample size. Hart is an admirable 3-point shooter, having come through in several big playoff moments throughout the years with back-breaking makes from behind the arc.
Against a big man as versatile as Towns, though, teams are willing to let their centers guard Hart so they can "stay home" and pack the paint. That makes scoring more difficult for everyone, but especially players like Brunson and Towns that thrive around the rim.
Knicks can make things easier on themselves, a theme of Brown's tenure
Since his first media availabilities as the Knicks' head coach, Brown has been emphasizing his desire to make things easier for his players. He knows Brunson can score 30, or 40, points on a nightly basis if he wants to. But he doesn't want to put the point guard in situations where he has to.
The coach recently said the same of both Bridges' 30 point performance in Toronto and Towns' back-to-back games with 20+ rebounds. While the team loves getting those contributions from any player, they want to put themselves in situations where they aren't relying on them.
While the team should certainly deploy its current starting five when the moment calls for it, going back to relying on it on a nightly basis narrows the spotlight's reach. It certainly remains on Towns, who needs to punish opposing coaches for guarding him with power forwards.
It remains on Hart, playing through the season with a splint on his finger, to shoot efficiently from 3-point land. It remains on Brunson, who needs to pass quickly out of doubles. And also on Brown, who can't be afraid to mix things up – especially once Deuce McBride is back for the playoffs.