The New York Knicks are facing an intriguing lineup decision as Mitchell Robinson nears his return from injury.
Will Tom Thibodeau start him next to Karl-Anthony Towns?
This potential pairing draws comparisons to how Towns was utilized a year ago when he played alongside Rudy Gobert and the Wolves boasted the best defense in basketball on their way to the Western Conference Finals.
Can you get the benefits of Robinson’s rim protection and rebounding that could reshape the Knicks’ middling defense into an elite one without sacrificing the best offense in the history of the franchise?
Historical outlier shooting at the five is why you get Karl-Anthony Towns and by moving him the the four you turn him from a special offensive player into merely a very good one. By inserting Mitch, perhaps the most rim bound high minutes big in the NBA, into the starting lineup you neuter your spacing. While simultaneously castrating the NBA’s best pick and roll between Jalen Brunson and KAT and the cascade of great looks that come from it.
There’s a case to be made that Mitch’s league-best offensive rebounding, that in the past has been
the driver of a top-five offense, offsets that to some extent, but there’s no world where your offensive
ceiling remains quite as high.
In a league where offense wins truly does win championships that’s something to consider.
Defensively, there are also questions about how this lineup would fare against teams without an obvious hiding place for Towns, most notably the Boston Celtics.
Towns’ ability to defend in space against elite scorers like Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown is very much a concern.
However, it’s worth noting that the Timberwolves found success with a similar lineup against the Celtics last season, playing them about as well as any team in the league. Robinson is not quite Gobert defensively, but it suggests a viable pathway for a Towns-Robinson frontcourt to work even against the team that should punish it the most.
The Knicks’ coaching staff will need to study how Minnesota utilized Towns defensively in those matchups and consider implementing similar strategies. It’s also important to remember that even if this becomes the starting lineup, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be the most-used configuration throughout games.
Ultimately, the decision to start Towns and Robinson together could provide the Knicks with added versatility, allowing them to match up better against certain opponents and potentially solve some of their rebounding issues. However, it will require careful management and strategic deployment to maximize its effectiveness without sacrificing the team’s current offensive strengths.
For more insights and a deeper dive into the potential Towns-Robinson pairing, tune into the Locked On Knicks podcast for this and much more.
Other Topics in Today’s Locked On Knicks Podcast:
• What should the Knicks ask for Christmas from Santa Claus?
• Does OG Anunoby have a real case to be a defensive first teamer or potentially defensive player of the year?
