Who Should Be the 5th Starter?

[spree8]

I would think Deuce makes the most sense to replace Hart in the starting 5. We still don't have a single backup PG on the roster except for Kolek though. I don't want Clarkson having that job.

KAT/Mitch/Yabusele will definitely be the primary C rotation if the roster stays this way. Huk is going to have to prove he can stay healthy as insurance and possibly earn some minutes. Mitch has to stay healthy.

We should see several different looks early this season no matter who starts. The answer will reveal itself. Hopefully the coach recognizes what works best.

Brogdon might be the best option… guard rotation of Brunson/Deuce/Brogdon/Clarkson with Kolek in case of injuries..

[Jalen Bluntson]

I would think Deuce makes the most sense to replace Hart in the starting 5. We still don't have a single backup PG on the roster except for Kolek though. I don't want Clarkson having that job.

KAT/Mitch/Yabusele will definitely be the primary C rotation if the roster stays this way. Huk is going to have to prove he can stay healthy as insurance and possibly earn some minutes. Mitch has to stay healthy.

We should see several different looks early this season no matter who starts. The answer will reveal itself. Hopefully the coach recognizes what works best.

Brogdon might be the best option… guard rotation of Brunson/Deuce/Brogdon/Clarkson with Kolek in case of injuries..

Yeah. There's another move to make before this question can really be answered.

[kNicksGmen]

I like that the poll shows that absolutely no one thinks hart should be starting lmao. Everyone under the sun but thibs knows he should be a super sub.

I don't disagree but to play devil's advocate, Thibs had less options for most of the year. It was pretty much Deuce or Hart until Mitch came back healthy. Or Precious (I actually wanted this over Hart lol)

But yea should have at least experimented with Deuce - even if not starting there should have been A LOT MORE minutes with the starting 5 with Deuce swapped for hart. We basically never played 5 out other than occasionally the 2nd unit with Kat (no brunson)

[Luv those Knicks]

Yabu at 4 would certainly bump the other wings into their best positions, OG to 3 Mikal 2. But so would starting Mitch with Kat at 4 I guess

And starting Deuce. I picked Yabu, but he probably isn't the best defender. Or he'd have played 30+ mpg with Philly.

Deuce at least you can play 5 out, though with Yabu you can too.

Trouble is, once Hart or Mitch get subbed in (hopefully rarely together) it's no longer 5 out.

Too bad New Orleans isn't insane enough to trade Murphy for Hart/Mitch. Also, I doubt the Knicks can combine players, but let's pretend Aller could get it done.

And Deuce can guard the POA which relieves Mikal of that. All the options have their pros and cons. Maybe it will just all work out better because Brown will mix and match his subs more freely.

Funny how no one mentions Hart much. If only he magically came back able and willing to shoot threes.

I like Yabu over Hart because Yabu shoots 3s.

Despite the pretty stats someone posted for McBride, he didn't always pass the eye test for me. Also, his .511 true shooting percentage isn't ideal. Maybe it was an off-year for him last year.

I think, as long as coach Brown is flexible and tries to figure out the best lineup, maybe making a change or two during the season, and as long as he doesn't overplay anyone, I think we'll be fine.

[BKlutch]

And starting Deuce. I picked Yabu, but he probably isn't the best defender. Or he'd have played 30+ mpg with Philly.

Deuce at least you can play 5 out, though with Yabu you can too.

Trouble is, once Hart or Mitch get subbed in (hopefully rarely together) it's no longer 5 out.

Too bad New Orleans isn't insane enough to trade Murphy for Hart/Mitch. Also, I doubt the Knicks can combine players, but let's pretend Aller could get it done.

And Deuce can guard the POA which relieves Mikal of that. All the options have their pros and cons. Maybe it will just all work out better because Brown will mix and match his subs more freely.

Funny how no one mentions Hart much. If only he magically came back able and willing to shoot threes.

I like Yabu over Hart because Yabu shoots 3s.

Despite the pretty stats someone posted for McBride, he didn't always pass the eye test for me. Also, his .511 true shooting percentage isn't ideal. Maybe it was an off-year for him last year.

I think, as long as coach Brown is flexible and tries to figure out the best lineup, maybe making a change or two during the season, and as long as he doesn't overplay anyone, I think we'll be fine.

I agree Deuce shot poorly last year, but he picked it up at the very end. He used to be a good shooter, so let's hope that's how he continues. I really like Yabu, and hope his D is good enough for us to see him used a lot more. But the biggest thing you said was seeing how Brown figures out the lineup - he may use players differently, altering how we'd play them based only on last season. He knows he owes his job in large part to Thibs not playing our bench enough, so I doubt he's going to repeat that mistake. He's free to make his own mistakes, though

[GONYK]

And Deuce can guard the POA which relieves Mikal of that. All the options have their pros and cons. Maybe it will just all work out better because Brown will mix and match his subs more freely.

Funny how no one mentions Hart much. If only he magically came back able and willing to shoot threes.

I like Yabu over Hart because Yabu shoots 3s.

Despite the pretty stats someone posted for McBride, he didn't always pass the eye test for me. Also, his .511 true shooting percentage isn't ideal. Maybe it was an off-year for him last year.

I think, as long as coach Brown is flexible and tries to figure out the best lineup, maybe making a change or two during the season, and as long as he doesn't overplay anyone, I think we'll be fine.

I agree Deuce shot poorly last year, but he picked it up at the very end. He used to be a good shooter, so let's hope that's how he continues. I really like Yabu, and hope his D is good enough for us to see him used a lot more. But the biggest thing you said was seeing how Brown figures out the lineup - he may use players differently, altering how we'd play them based only on last season. He knows he owes his job in large part to Thibs not playing our bench enough, so I doubt he's going to repeat that mistake. He's free to make his own mistakes, though

He shot 37% from three. That's hardly poor.

[BKlutch]

I like Yabu over Hart because Yabu shoots 3s.

Despite the pretty stats someone posted for McBride, he didn't always pass the eye test for me. Also, his .511 true shooting percentage isn't ideal. Maybe it was an off-year for him last year.

I think, as long as coach Brown is flexible and tries to figure out the best lineup, maybe making a change or two during the season, and as long as he doesn't overplay anyone, I think we'll be fine.

I agree Deuce shot poorly last year, but he picked it up at the very end. He used to be a good shooter, so let's hope that's how he continues. I really like Yabu, and hope his D is good enough for us to see him used a lot more. But the biggest thing you said was seeing how Brown figures out the lineup - he may use players differently, altering how we'd play them based only on last season. He knows he owes his job in large part to Thibs not playing our bench enough, so I doubt he's going to repeat that mistake. He's free to make his own mistakes, though

He shot 37% from three. That's hardly poor.

That's not poor, but he shot 40.6% overall on 8.5 FGA/game. He shot 4.9 times from 3 and only around 4 times from 2, so his TS% doesn't look as bad as his inside scoring did. His 37% from 3 was down from 41% from 3 the previous season, and his 40.6% overall was down from 45% in '23-'24. So he was a worse shooter this year, but I think he's beetter than that. At least I'm hoping so.

[Zero-in-box]

I agree Deuce shot poorly last year, but he picked it up at the very end. He used to be a good shooter, so let's hope that's how he continues. I really like Yabu, and hope his D is good enough for us to see him used a lot more. But the biggest thing you said was seeing how Brown figures out the lineup - he may use players differently, altering how we'd play them based only on last season. He knows he owes his job in large part to Thibs not playing our bench enough, so I doubt he's going to repeat that mistake. He's free to make his own mistakes, though

He shot 37% from three. That's hardly poor.

That's not poor, but he shot 40.6% overall on 8.5 FGA/game. He shot 4.9 times from 3 and only around 4 times from 2, so his TS% doesn't look as bad as his inside scoring did. His 37% from 3 was down from 41% from 3 the previous season, and his 40.6% overall was down from 45% in '23-'24. So he was a worse shooter this year, but I think he's beetter than that. At least I'm hoping so.

The one thing with McBride- he was dinged up and hurt a lot. That is part of why Thibs may not have played him more. But- the #s on him and JB being on the floor together warranted playing them more together.

So I do wonder if the off shooting year was that (being hurt/playing hurt) or having to adjust to changes in the team.

[BKlutch]

He shot 37% from three. That's hardly poor.

That's not poor, but he shot 40.6% overall on 8.5 FGA/game. He shot 4.9 times from 3 and only around 4 times from 2, so his TS% doesn't look as bad as his inside scoring did. His 37% from 3 was down from 41% from 3 the previous season, and his 40.6% overall was down from 45% in '23-'24. So he was a worse shooter this year, but I think he's beetter than that. At least I'm hoping so.

The one thing with McBride- he was dinged up and hurt a lot. That is part of why Thibs may not have played him more. But- the #s on him and JB being on the floor together warranted playing them more together.

So I do wonder if the off shooting year was that (being hurt/playing hurt) or having to adjust to changes in the team.

He was definitely hurting but got better just around the playoffs. That happens. So I really expect he'll do well under Mike Brown. We'll see!

[ctorres]

Deuce should start and be the POA defender

[KOA]

The issue with starting Deuce is that our rebounding takes a huge hit because Bridges and OG are below average for their size. The + is that he’s a really pesky POA defender.

Mitch is the better option to start here so that we don’t have to play him and Hart too many minutes together.

Bridges needs to be wayyyy more aggressive defensively. He rarely swipes at the ball with his long ass arms and doesn’t use his fouls. Maybe it was a way to keep his stamina for the crazy minutes he was playing.

[ctorres]

The issue with starting Deuce is that our rebounding takes a huge hit because Bridges and OG are below average for their size. The + is that he’s a really pesky POA defender.

Mitch is the better option to start here so that we don’t have to play him and Hart too many minutes together.

Bridges needs to be wayyyy more aggressive defensively. He rarely swipes at the ball with his long ass arms and doesn’t use his fouls. Maybe it was a way to keep his stamina for the crazy minutes he was playing.

I feel like none of the $30+ million guys wants to be the POA defender, so you gotta put Deuce there to do the dirty work and give him an opportunity to earn a big bag for his next contract

I really worry about Mitch under Mike Brown. He might not be a fit. With the Kings, Mike Brown played traditional defensive bigs very few minutes. Bigs who could stretch the floor got consistent minutes in his rotations.

[GONYK]

The issue with starting Deuce is that our rebounding takes a huge hit because Bridges and OG are below average for their size. The + is that he’s a really pesky POA defender.

Mitch is the better option to start here so that we don’t have to play him and Hart too many minutes together.

Bridges needs to be wayyyy more aggressive defensively. He rarely swipes at the ball with his long ass arms and doesn’t use his fouls. Maybe it was a way to keep his stamina for the crazy minutes he was playing.

I feel like none of the $30+ million guys wants to be the POA defender, so you gotta put Deuce there to do the dirty work and give him an opportunity to earn a big bag for his next contract

I really worry about Mitch under Mike Brown. He might not be a fit. With the Kings, Mike Brown played traditional defensive bigs very few minutes. Bigs who could stretch the floor got consistent minutes in his rotations.

To be fair, his traditional bigs weren't good

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[ctorres]

The issue with starting Deuce is that our rebounding takes a huge hit because Bridges and OG are below average for their size. The + is that he’s a really pesky POA defender.

Mitch is the better option to start here so that we don’t have to play him and Hart too many minutes together.

Bridges needs to be wayyyy more aggressive defensively. He rarely swipes at the ball with his long ass arms and doesn’t use his fouls. Maybe it was a way to keep his stamina for the crazy minutes he was playing.

I feel like none of the $30+ million guys wants to be the POA defender, so you gotta put Deuce there to do the dirty work and give him an opportunity to earn a big bag for his next contract

I really worry about Mitch under Mike Brown. He might not be a fit. With the Kings, Mike Brown played traditional defensive bigs very few minutes. Bigs who could stretch the floor got consistent minutes in his rotations.

To be fair, his traditional bigs weren't good

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Richaun Holmes was a 24-29 mpg for 3 seasons before Brown. He became an 8mp guy under Brown

Maybe it was more Holmes fault then Brown. Kings were a 30+ win team before Brown and became a 40+ win team with Brown.

[nyk2017]

Sign Bradley Beal

[GONYK]

I feel like none of the $30+ million guys wants to be the POA defender, so you gotta put Deuce there to do the dirty work and give him an opportunity to earn a big bag for his next contract

I really worry about Mitch under Mike Brown. He might not be a fit. With the Kings, Mike Brown played traditional defensive bigs very few minutes. Bigs who could stretch the floor got consistent minutes in his rotations.

To be fair, his traditional bigs weren't good

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Richaun Holmes was a 24-29 mpg for 3 seasons before Brown. He became an 8mp guy under Brown

Maybe it was more Holmes fault then Brown. Kings were a 30+ win team before Brown and became a 40+ win team with Brown.

Kind of proving my point

[spree8]

The issue with starting Deuce is that our rebounding takes a huge hit because Bridges and OG are below average for their size. The + is that he’s a really pesky POA defender.

Mitch is the better option to start here so that we don’t have to play him and Hart too many minutes together.

Bridges needs to be wayyyy more aggressive defensively. He rarely swipes at the ball with his long ass arms and doesn’t use his fouls. Maybe it was a way to keep his stamina for the crazy minutes he was playing.

I’ve said this recently regarding Deuce starting vs Hart and the loss in rebounds.. guess the same could be applied to Mitch and the rebounding edge…

With Deuce instead of Hart:

1: Far better 3pt shooting
2: No 3PT hesitation or indecisiveness leading to TO’s or low % FGA
3: More efficiency from Jalen via less doubles
4: Mikal handling the ball more… increased confidence and impact
5: POA defense allowing Mikal to guard the wing
6: Best POA defender on the team, tops in the league


Hart instead of Deuce:

1: Net positive is really just the rebounding


That being said, how many rebounds can Hart get that Towns (who is fighting Hart constantly on the boards, like both having a hand on the ball) or Mikal, OG, Deuce, n Jalen can’t get? And of those rebounds, how many are actually converting to made field goals in transition?

Given everything here, and I know I may be missing some intangibles, I’d roll the dice on starting Deuce over Hart every time. Been sayin it since before opening night

The Offense+Defensive+Net Ratings differences between Deuce, Hart, and Mitch with the other starters backs this up. Deuce brings much more value than Hart n Mitch do and allows the rest of the starters to have better opportunities and higher efficiency.

[HarthorneWingo]

I went with Mitch. But after the first 6-8 minutes, it’s going to depend on the matchups and game situation as to who plays with whom … like Towns getting into early foul trouble.

[SpreeNYK]

I like Yabu a lot, but his lack of defense wouldn't be good next to KAT, who isn't exactly known for it either. Hart is the perfect sixth man with all his energy. So that leaves only Mitch or Deuce. In the preseason, you should test both game by game and then decide on the RS.

[prophet_of_rage]

If you want defence you start with Thibs originaly planned lineup of Mitch, KAT, OG, Bridges and JB. If yoy want ball movement you.go with Thibs lineuo of KAT, OG, Hart, Bridges and JB. If you want all offence you roll yhe dice that a small backcourt of Deice, JB, KAT, OG and Bridges bring s you enough defence that KAT and JB don't get obliterated.

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