One of the more eye-catching quotes to come out of the 2026-27 New York Knicks' media day came from head coach Mike Brown.
When asked what fans can expect to see their championship-winning team do differently this season, the coach referenced star center Karl-Anthony Towns' breakout performance as a playmaker throughout the team's championship run and spoke about a desire to increase the extents to which he relies on both OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges as pick-and-roll playmakers.
Brown also discussed the possibility of deploying Anunoby at the center position, according to SNY, in what would be a clear strategic response to the loss of Mitchell Robinson from the team's second unit. Leon Rose's front office signed Andre Drummond to replace their former backup big man, one of the better free agent options on the market. The differences between the two centers, though, make the constrictions of the second apron on the Knicks' budget hard to ignore.
Brown clearly agrees, with the team's present lack of a third-string center leaving him no option but to begin making other plans. How much he actually plans on having Anunoby support his pair of centers remains to be seen. But the wing's history with injuries should leave fans hoping the strategy is behind the emergency glass, and not in the plans on a nightly basis.
Non-playoff center minutes are a tough sell with OG Anunoby's injury history
If everything goes according to plan, all season long, the Knicks will be able to get away with starting Towns and deploying Drummond in relief. That isn't typically how life works, though.
Drummond missed 19 games as a member of the Philadelphia 76ers last season; he missed 42 the year before, in his final run as a Chicago Bull. Add in the fact that Towns has led the entire NBA in offensive fouls for three consecutive seasons, and you wind up understanding why Brown was already talking about backup plans before his team had played a single minute of preseason basketball.
Anunoby is tough, talented, and certainly persistent — as his timely Game 4 tip-in proved. His history with injuries, even just in a Knicks jersey, however, complicates Brown's idea to station him in the paint.
The days of Mikal Bridges' team-friendly salary and the descending contracts of Robinson and Jalen Brunson are over. The Knicks are one of 28 NBA teams shying away from the second apron, and its penalties, which is going to continue to leave them with holes to fill. At some point, they're probably going to need to bite the bullet and make the leap over the threshold.
New York potentially surpassing the second apron, at some point, doesn't obligate them to stay over it. If they're going to extend Towns, Josh Hart, and Miles McBride, though, Governor James Dolan may want to familiarize himself with the tax rates. A short stint above that limit could set the team up for sustained success over the next several years, a worthwhile reward for the financial strain.
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