Who Should Be the 5th Starter?

[gavran]

Deuce, you preserve Mitch that way.

Why would you preserve Mitch that way?

[Deeeez Knicks]

Mitch or Deuce. Hopefully we will see some variety.

[spree8]

In the 65 minutes we saw Mitch starting over Hart in the playoffs, the numbers were:

Offensive Rating: 114.6
Defensive Rating: 118.3
Net Rating: -3.7


In the 41 minutes we saw Deuce with the starters (in place of Hart) during the season, the numbers were:

Offensive Rating: 116.1
Defensive Rating: 112.0
Net Rating: +4.2


Deuce in 84 mins with the starters in place of Bridges:

Offensive Rating: 130.8
Defensive Rating: 96.4
Net Rating: +34.3


Deuce in 64 mins with the starters in place of OG:

Offensive Rating: 128.2
Defensive Rating: 109.2
Net Rating: +19.0





Key takeaway: start Deuce

[Pr0nzingis]

Mitch off course, thats was the sole point of bringing Yabusele, so that Towns can play at 4. Deuce should come up early for Bridges and have him back on when Towns or\and Brunson are subbed so that Bridges have more time being the focal point of offense.

[WaltFrazier]

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

[thebuzzardman]

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.

[WaltFrazier]

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.

[spree8]

Even in the 61 mins Mitch was with the starters in place of KAT in the playoffs…


Offensive Rating: 97.7
Defensive Rating: 108.9
Net Rating: -11.2



Regular starting lineup in the playoffs:


Offensive Rating: 108.7
Defensive Rating: 114.9
Net Rating: -6.2



Regular starting lineup during the season:


Offensive Rating: 117.7
Defensive Rating: 114.4
Net Rating: +3.3



Teams figured out it was better to put their center on Hart who’s scared to shoot 3’s, and his defense isn’t great to boot.

There really is no world where Hart or Mitch should be starting.

[Jalen Bluntson]

I don't care. Obviously we are questioning the Hart/KAT roles on the team here. Should Hart be benched for two bigs or Deuce? Whatever works. For all we know, Brown makes it work with the same starting 5. It's good to have options.

[Besart19]

Brunson / Clarkson / Kolek
McBride / Shamet / McCullar
Anuonoby / Bridges / Coffey
Yabussele / Hart / Dadiet
Towns / Robinson / Huk

[Jalen Bluntson]

Brunson / Clarkson / Kolek
McBride / Shamet / McCullar
Anuonoby / Bridges / Coffey
Yabussele / Hart / Dadiet
Towns / Robinson / Huk

Full Besart!!

[StlHawksFan]

I think there are two ways we can go about it. Mitch or Deuce. Nobody else really makes sense (sorry Josh).

Option 1: Mitch
C Mitch
PF KAT
SF OG
SG Mikal
PG JB

Option 2: Deuce
C KAT
PF OG
SF Mikal
SG Deuce
PG JB

Either way, the rotation is probably going to look very similar:
Centers: Mitch 24mpg, KAT 24mpg
Forwards: KAT 8mpg, Yabu 20mpg, OG 32mpg, Hart 30mpg, Mikal 8mpg
Guards: Brunson 32mpg, Bridges 24mpg, Deuce 20mpg, Clarkson 20mpg

And the closing lineup will almost certainly be KAT, OG, Bridges, Deuce, and Brunson with offense/defense substitutions involving Mitch and Hart coming in for KAT and Brunson.

[thebuzzardman]

Brunson / Clarkson / Kolek
McBride / Shamet / McCullar
Anuonoby / Bridges / Coffey
Yabussele / Hart / Dadiet
Towns / Robinson / Huk

Bridges as 6th man is wild. But maybe an idea.

[thebuzzardman]

I think there are two ways we can go about it. Mitch or Deuce. Nobody else really makes sense (sorry Josh).

Option 1: Mitch
C Mitch
PF KAT
SF OG
SG Mikal
PG JB

Option 2: Deuce
C KAT
PF OG
SF Mikal
SG Deuce
PG JB

Either way, the rotation is probably going to look very similar:
Centers: Mitch 24mpg, KAT 24mpg
Forwards: KAT 8mpg, Yabu 20mpg, OG 32mpg, Hart 30mpg, Mikal 8mpg
Guards: Brunson 32mpg, Bridges 24mpg, Deuce 20mpg, Clarkson 20mpg

And the closing lineup will almost certainly be KAT, OG, Bridges, Deuce, and Brunson with offense/defense substitutions involving Mitch and Hart coming in for KAT and Brunson.

This seems the most likely

There might be a bench lineup, where if the Knicks are getting beat in the interior, where the D squad is:

McBride
Mikal
OG
Yabu
Mitch

Where the team is still 4 out, but point of attack defense and rim protection are there. Situational lineup. To protect leads or for a nice run middle 3rd quarter...I don't know.

[DOT]

I say Deuce, but I think the more important thing is lineup variety, being flexible depending on how a game is going or who we're playing

Some teams the 5-out offense will work against and will outweigh the issues with KAT at C on defense

Other times, you might be able to get away with a more traditional front court and need the rim protection. But also, Mitch just isn't reliable enough for me to pencil him in as the starter. Dude averages 48 games played per season, and has never averaged more than 28 mpg (and the one season he averaged 27.5 mpg, he only played 31 games). Unfortunately, at this stage of his career, he's just a backup. Injuries really destroyed his potential

Which is also why I think we need another vet C, cause even if we have KAT starting at C, Mitch and Hukporti are both injury-prone, plus while I think Hukporti could contribute, I don't think needing him to contribute is a good idea

Basically, if you think Mitch should start, you're either saying we have to rely on Hukporti as a starter for half the season (or some other vet min big), or we're gonna play KAT at C for half the season anyways, in which case you might as well just plan on doing that from the start.

[Jalen Bluntson]

Brunson / Clarkson / Kolek
McBride / Shamet / McCullar
Anuonoby / Bridges / Coffey
Yabussele / Hart / Dadiet
Towns / Robinson / Huk

Bridges as 6th man is wild. But maybe an idea.

It's not too crazy but, there is no way they can get Shamet/McC/Coffey on the roster. One of them maybe but, then you offer McC a two way?

[GONYK]

The only correct answer to this question is Deuce.

[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.

[cgmw]

It’s starting early. Idk the answer but I am 100% sure that fans will get ugly and turn on that 5th starter real quick if/when the team struggles to meet the new expectations of being the #1 Seed favorite out of the East.

It’s been at least 30 years since we’ve had these kinds of expectations (1995). With predictable growing pains of a new coach/system, I’m prepared for fans to get real ugly real quick on their least favorite Knick.

Starting Mitch seems obvious, but also obvious that you need to keep his minutes in check or he’ll miss 50 games. We’ve haven’t seen mature Mitch outside of Thibs’ crazy rim protection/drop coverage system. He’ll need to catch 2-3 lobs/game to keep the net rating up to expectations now. Switching on D also makes him more likely to need rest.

The biggest potential change will be Brunson’s usage. Will Brown keep Thibs’ insane iso-dribble offense? I doubt it, which means we should see a different Brunson now with upticks from Bridges/OG.

I’m a little worried about the Deuce/Claskson fit off the bench since neither runs an offense as a true point guard but I think a run and gun bench unit would do well staggering minutes with KAT.

Tl;Dr: I predict fans will turn on Mitch (if he’s a starter) and have more grumblings/doubt about Captain Clutch. Both players should see decreased productivity post-Thibs despite new sky-high expectations as a team.

[Nazrmohamed]

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.

You'd definitely be doing allot of staggering though. Who does Clarkson sub in for? Who's our backup PG?

Kolek better be working hard right now.

Anyway I dont mind Deuce at SG next to Brunson but funny enough ITS WHEN you play a bigger lineup inside to offset that small backcourt, while almost symbiotically, the small backcourt consisting of essentially two playmakers do a better job of finding your bigs for easy baskets.