The new primary five-man lineup for the New York Knicks took the court for the first time in the preseason.
Big lineup tells story of Knicks’ preseason kickoff
Mitchell Robinson obtained the job with New York’s first five in the win over the Philadelphia 76ers.
Josh Hart began the game with the reserve unit. Thursday highlighted a fresh look that may be the M-O for New York in the 2025-26 campaign.
The unknown choice for the Knicks leading into the preseason was about the player that New York’s head coach Mike Brown would appoint of the two. Their unit with Hart led them to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2024-25.
However, New York manned Robinson in a two-big unit in 2023-24. They likely will look to see if that can be the case again in the new campaign.
Knicks display telling minute allotment vs. 76ers
Karl-Anthony Towns rolled into the Conference Finals in the West in a two-big unit with the Minnesota Timberwolves next to the 7-1 center in Rudy Gobert in 2023-24. Thus, he can coexist with Robinson with good chemistry.
Elsewhere in the lineup, Pacome Dadiet manned the forward slot in place of OG Anunoby (sprained wrist). Miles McBride led the reserves with 5-7 accuracy from the field.
Ariel Hukporti, Jordan Clarkson, Garrison Mathews, and Tyler Kolek all played well. Hukporti worked for six rebounds in as many minutes. Clarkson, as well as Mathews, scored 18 of New York’s 60 bench points. Kolek performed well in 11 minutes.
Robinson may see most of the action with the first five for the rest of the way. Hart (back) will be re-evaluated by the Knicks this Friday. That will sway who Coach Brown views as best for the job as the campaign commences.