A sprained left hand sidelined OG Anunoby for the New York Knicks’ preseason opener against the Philadelphia 76ers. While the injury is not considered serious, the absence is a reminder of his past issues. More critically, it’s a reality check on the team’s ability to play sustainable five-out basketball.
Even with Mitchell Robinson getting the start in Abu Dhabi, the chance to spread the floor at every position was the driving force behind acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns one year ago. With Mike Brown waxing the importance of playing fast and launching tons of threes, the prevailing belief is that he’ll find ways to deploy more five-out lineups.
This didn’t happen against the Sixers. New York gave Deuce McBride some burn to close the first half in a lineup that featured Towns and Guerschon Yabusele, but that was about it. Anunoby’s injury, of course, made it harder for the Knicks to field these looks. But that’s the entire point.
The Knicks may not be built to regularly play five-out
Five-out arrangements may not be the Knicks’ default even with a healthy Anunoby. Robinson takes that off the table from the jump if he’s in the starting lineup. Once Brown pulls him, his five-out options will be limited by how much he plans to play Josh Hart.
Putting McBride alongside KAT, Anunoby, Jalen Brunson, and Mikal Bridges is the antidote. If we’re being honest, it would probably be New York’s best starting lineup in a vacuum.
These Knicks do not exist in a vacuum, though.
Juggling the minutes of Hart and Robinson is a real puzzle. Starting McBride or ratcheting up his reps alongside the other four entrenched starters would require more tandem minutes for Hart and Robinson. Those lineups were a disaster last season, across a limited sample.
Working Yabusele, Jordan Clarkson, Landry Shamet, or Malcolm Brogdon into the fold provides potential alternatives. The thing is, increasing their time must come at the expense of either Hart or Robinson. Good luck deciding which of those guys should play a more limited role.
Anunoby’s absence exacerbates the dilemma
Not having Anunoby at the team’s disposal makes all of this worse. It isn’t about him specifically. It’s about how easily the Knicks can be thrown out of what few five-out staples they have.
If Anunoby, Bridges, or Brunson misses any time, five-out basketball becomes a pipe dream. The Knicks may have only started the second half against the Sixers playing five-out because Hart suffered a back injury, and was also ejected.
New York can still get to secondary lineups with KAT plus four shooters. Yet, the entire point is to make time for five-out basketball when he’s playing with Jalen Brunson. We seldom saw that last year.
Over 88 percent of the non-garbage-time possessions Brunson and Towns logged together came with at least one of Hart and Robinson on the floor. Not surprisingly, as Daily Knicks’ own Atticus O'Brien-Pappalardo notes, fewer than 20 percent of the screens KAT set for JB came when Hart was off the court.
Addressing this is an obvious goal. As Anunoby’s preseason injury reinforces, though, this is all easier said than done.