Mike Brown is inheriting a lineup loaded with talented players. He has high-end superstars like Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, as well as an excellent supporting cast highlighted by OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges. The other thing he is inheriting is a mystery that Tom Thibodeau never tried to solve last season: what is the best starting lineup?
This offseason, the Knicks upgraded their bench. They upgraded the guard depth by replacing Cameron Payne with Jordan Clarkson, as well as the frontcourt depth by swapping out Precious Achiuwa for Guerschon Yabusele.
That said, the bulk of the Knicks roster from last season remains. One would think that Brown is walking into an organization with a year's worth of film on different lineup combinations to help him decide what his rotation will look like in 2025-26.
Unfortunately for Brown, that is not the case. Thibodeau played his starting unit of Brunson, Bridges, Josh Hart, Anunoby, and Towns for a whopping 940 minutes in the regular season. The problem? That unit wasn't great together, netting out to just +1.6 per game.
Brown will need to spend time tinkering with different lineups
Brown will now have to spend some of the early portion of the season experimenting with different combinations, trying to find the perfect mix.
There are several options, and the good news for Knicks teams is that they can expect him to leave no stone unturned when attempting to answer the question of what works best. There have been rumors that there is internal support for starting Josh Hart again, while SNY's Ian Begley has reported that the front office signed Yabusele with the intention of playing both Towns and Mitchell Robinson in the starting lineup.
Could Brown try something different entirely?
There is also the possibility that Brown goes an entirely different route. Everyone knows from Brown's time coaching in Golden State and Sacramento that his preferred style of play is pace-and-space.
That could lead one to assume that he would instead start Deuce McBride alongside Jalen Brunson, a move that would put five players who are capable of knocking down threes on the court at the same time.
That seems like the best option for Towns and Brunson's two-man game to flourish as well, after it never fully reached the potential many thought it could last season under Thibodeau. Ultimately, fans will have to wait and see what direction Brown goes in.