Ever since head coach Tom Thibodeau signed with the New York Knicks in 2020, he’s transformed the franchise into an NBA Finals contender, with the peak of that reality feeling the closest it’s ever felt following a grueling 2023-24 campaign.
The Knicks, despite dealing with a slew of injuries over the course of the regular and post seasons, made it back to the Conference Semifinals before coming up short to the Indiana Pacers in seven games. This was predominantly accomplished without Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson, which goes to show you how much talent was missing and how much of a difference they could have made had they been healthy.
Well, with the 2023-24 season now in the rearview mirror, the Knicks get to start off fresh and just happen to be not only bringing back all three of these talents, but they also traded for one of the best two-way players in the game, in Mikal Bridges. The former Brooklyn Net is one of the most consistent and versatile players in the league and will provide a big boost defensively while serving as another reliable scoring alternative the Knicks can lean on offensively.
However, with Bridges’ arrival, the starting lineup many grew to become accustomed to over the 2023-24 season could change quite a bit this year. In addition, Bridges is also another core member of the Villanova college squad that won two National Championships in 2016 and 2018. And seeing how well Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, and Josh Hart played together last season, this begs the question of how much will the ‘Villanova Knicks’ theme apply to the starting lineups we see from Coach Thibodeau in 2024-25?
In this feature, we present our take on who we think should be in Coach Thibodeau’s main starting five this upcoming season and why.
Projecting the Knicks’ starting 5 for the 2024-25 season
Point Guard – Jalen Brunson
This is a no-brainer, obviously, and expected as long as he stays healthy. The first-time All-Star had a breakout season in 2023-24, posting a career-high 28.7 points per game and 6.7 assists while also finishing with a field goal percentage of 47.9 and a three-point percentage of 40.1. The soon-to-be 28-year-old in August was re-signed to a four-year, $156,549,124 dollar deal just about two weeks ago, solidifying him as the future of this organization and the franchise player the Knicks are trying to build a championship-caliber team around.
Shooting Guard – Mikal Bridges
With Bridges now in the picture, the Knicks should start their newest acquisition at the shooting guard spot. Bridges has played predominantly at the small forward position over his career, particularly with the Phoenix Suns. But his lanky-strong 6’6” frame and wingspan match him up a lot better against more athletic, smaller shooting guards on the defensive front while granting him the space on the perimeter to find his shots. Some might be thinking, ‘well how about DiVincenzo at the two and Bridges at the three’?
Though DiVincenzo had a remarkable year and shot the ball very well (finished with a career high 15.5 points per game and a 40.1 3PT percentage), he doesn’t come with the best size and defensive package the Knicks need at shooting guard. In addition, DiVincenzo is a catch-and-shoot, shot-creating scoring option, and the Knicks already have plenty of starters who can do that, including Bridges.
Small Forward – OG Anunoby
As soon as the Knicks put pen to paper with forward OG Anunoby, signing him to a five-year, $212,500,000 dollar deal, the starting role became his, and understandably so, even outside of his new contract. At 27 years old, Anunoby comes with a very well-rounded package of defensive and offensive skills founded on his underrated level of athleticism and physicality.
But what’s been special with Anunoby is how well he’s fit in with the Knicks, particularly within Coach Thibodeau’s scheme. In fact, the Knicks have a 20-3 regular season record with Anunoby since he was traded for last December. Although Josh Hart is coming off an impressive campaign and will serve as a plug-and-play alternative, Anunoby offers much more on both sides of the ball and comes with a bigger frame for the position (6’7”) than Hart, who’s only 6’4”.
Power Forward – Julius Randle
Randle missed a lot of time last season due to a shoulder injury he needed surgery for. That said, he will still be the Knicks’ everyday starting power forward should he log another healthy campaign. At 29 years old, the three-time All-Star power forward has two more years left on his four-year $117 million dollar contract and will look to remind any doubters of his worth for this franchise, considering how much success the Knicks were able to achieve without him last season.
Though Randle has always been one of the go-to scorers for this team, his role in 2024-25 could likely transition more towards his playmaking talent, and for one big reason. Aside from Brunson, the Knicks don’t have many great passers.
With so many scorers and shooters at their disposal, the Knicks will need at least two of their starters to take on the brunt of the playmaking responsibilities, especially dishing the rock. We saw this a lot with Hart last season, and the Knicks thrived off that. Now that Bridges has arrived, Randle’s ability to adapt and embrace that new role as a starter will be integral to this team’s success, particularly down the stretch.
Center – Mitchell Robinson
Similar to that of Randle, Robinson missed a lot of time last season due to having two surgeries on his ankle that cost him loads of playing time. The crushing reality with Robinson is that prior to receiving his first surgery in December (which led him to miss 50 games after), he was off to a great start, playing better interior defense while proving to be a major asset on the glass.
To add to it, backup Isaiah Hartenstein signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder, vacating the starting center role for Robinson to own. Though Jericho Sims remains a solid backup, he still has a lot of work to do in order to become a viable starting option.
For Robinson, it all comes down to his ability to be available for 60-plus games over the regular season, which he’s only managed to achieve three times over his six-year career. Even his foul troubles have improved significantly, with Robinson averaging just 1.8 personal fouls in 31 games played last season (a new career best).