Who Should Be the Fifth Starter?

As the Knicks prepare for one of their most important seasons in recent memory, most offseason questions have been answered. The roster is mostly fully formed with the additions of Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele, and Mike Brown has been brought in as the team’s next head coach.

A piece of the puzzle that remains unclear is who will be the fifth starter. Karl-Anthony Towns, Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, and OG Anunoby feel solidified at this point. But with the mixing of lineups that occurred late in the playoffs, it’s fair to wonder if Mike Brown will stay the course or entertain other possibilities. Let’s explore what some of those configurations could look like.

Last season Josh Hart started in all 77 of his regular season appearances. It highlighted the rigidity of Tom Thibodeau, which some might argue was a driving force in his eventual dismissal. The benefits of Hart as a starter getting a lion's share of minutes comes down to intangibles and possession opportunity.

In 2024-25, Hart averaged 13.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game. 2.1 of his rebounds were offensive rebounds, meaning that he helped to contribute to extra possessions for the offense. His value as a possession generator and effective passer is a huge asset and presents a fair case for staying the course.

Where the Hart case falls apart is with spacing and rim protection. Hart shot 33% from three-point range this past season on just over three attempts per game. As we saw in the playoffs, teams left him open, creating clogged lanes whenever Brunson or Towns tried to drive.

Hart remaining as the starter also has the undesirable outcome defensively of Towns at the center position. Towns was mostly ineffective as a rim protector throughout the season, and Hart remaining as a starter doesn’t help matters while also adding additional responsibility to OG Anunoby as a help defender.

Hart’s best attribute is as an energy player. He is most effective as a downhill force that can force his way to the basket and open things up for other shooters. This makes him an ideal candidate to lead a bench unit, especially when Towns and Brunson sit. That may mean a slight sacrifice on backcourt rebounding, but for the offensive upside, it may be a price worth paying.

A player that many fans have been clamoring for to enter the starting lineup is Deuce McBride. McBride is a tremendous developmental story for the Knicks. A former second-round pick, McBride eventually earned the respect of the coaching staff through spot minutes and time in Westchester. He’s transformed himself from an undersized defensive-minded guard into an effective two-way player that is a net positive for the team.

The draw of inserting him into the starting lineup is all about shooting and maximizing offensive potential. Last season, the four entrenched starters plus McBride was not often deployed, only logging 82 total minutes. However, in those minutes, the Knicks averaged 130.5 points per possession with 43.3% shooting from three—showing a five-out offense that was available but seldomly used with five efficient volume three-point shooters:

More minutes with this lineup would likely equal more efficiency and higher three-point rate—a premium attribute in today’s NBA. You may be wondering why Thibodeau didn’t play this lineup more often. The answer is simple: size.

Because Thibodeau preferred a rotation-based defensive style and prioritized rebounding, starting McBride over Hart wasn’t worth sacrificing their two-inch height difference and Hart’s rebounding skills. The fear with this lineup is that once again rim protection is compromised with Towns at center. Matching up against bigger backcourts in the league is also a concern as both McBride and Brunson are undersized.

The hope is that the wing defense provided by McBride, Anunoby, and Bridges is enough to compensate for the weaknesses of Towns and Brunson at that end of the floor. The upside of the offensive potential is enticing, and if Mike Brown wants to prioritize shooting efficiency and three-point volume, this is likely the lineup that he will select.

The lineup change that was made in the Indiana series was to insert Mitchell Robinson and move Josh Hart to the bench. From a Thibs philosophy perspective, it did exactly what he wanted. The lineup had a 43.1% offensive rebound rate, which ranked as the best in the playoffs.

This lineup also presented more shots at the rim with reduced three-point efficiency. The benefit is that it takes the rim protecting responsibility away from Towns’ because Robinson is an excellent shot blocker. He is also one of the best offensive rebounders in the NBA.

While he didn’t play many games during the regular season as he recovered from injury, Robinson averaged 3.1 offensive rebounds per game in only 17 minutes per game. For some perspective, Alperen Şengün of the Rockets was 8^th in the NBA with 3.4 offensive rebounds per game in 31.5 minutes per game.

Per 36 minutes, that would have put Robinson at 6.5 offensive rebounds per game, which would have been the fifth-best offensive rebounding season in NBA history. The concern with Robinson, however, is his health. In the past two seasons, he has only played 48 games, or only 29% of the games played.

Inserting him as a starter runs the risk of availability concerns, but it also limits offensive upside. Robinson is a non-shooter, creating spacing concerns. Because he cannot draw defenders out of the paint, scoring becomes more challenging for Towns and Brunson. For Mike Brown, the choice is whether he is a rim protection purist like his predecessor, or if he values that attribute in a more limited capacity.

One of the best redemption stories this past season was the re-emergence of Guerschon Yabusele, who shined with a tanking Sixers team after excelling with the French Olympic team. Yabusele was out of the league for six years after originally flaming out with Boston and showed enough to receive an offer from the Knicks.

At 6’8”, he is an undersized big man but makes up for it with physicality. In Philly, Yabusele used this attribute to alter shots at the rim despite lacking elite verticality. Where he truly shines, however, is as a floor spacer. He shot 38% from three last season on 3.8 attempts per game.

Yabusele also flashed upside as a passer averaging 2.1 assists per game with an 11.5% assist rate. He was excellent in the pick-and-roll game, using his size and intelligence to create space for his above-the-break three-point shot where he shot 40% last season.

As a pick and roll partner with Jalen Brunson, it’s easy to see the appeal. Paired with Towns and Anunoby, his screening ability could present a variety of offensive possibilities. Another thing in Yabusele’s favor is his efficiency at the rim. He shot 71% from close range, which forces defenses to honor his threat as a driver and creates open looks from the corners.

Load is a concern with Yabusele as a starter, however. He only played 27.1 minutes per game last season, which means that fatigue could be a factor. This concern is especially pronounced when considering his somewhat unorthodox shooting form.

Yabusele likely figures to be a solid rotation piece as opposed to a frontcourt starter alongside Towns. But his skillset does present a look that Mike Brown can take advantage of to wear down leaner frontcourts. The crucial point of this signing is that the Knicks added yet another positive shooter.

All these configurations have varying levels of merit and will likely be deployed in some fashion throughout the upcoming season. But the one that makes the most sense is Deuce McBride entering the starting lineup. It immediately increases the team’s offensive upside while still retaining the defensive upside that Hart provides. Yes, they lose the rebounding capability of Hart, but that is well worth having a more consistent shooter who can keep defenses spaced out.

This also has the benefit of slotting Hart into an energy role off the bench where he has proven to be incredibly effective. When the Knicks decided to trade for Karl-Anthony Towns, they signaled a shift. They are an offensively focused team, and it is crucial that they lean into that identity with a five-out configuration that can maximize each possession. Starting Deuce McBride accomplishes that, and it’s the change that Mike Brown should implement.