UPDATE: It’s official. Mitchell Robinson is in the starting five and Josh Hart will come off the bench in a must-win Game 3 for New York on Sunday night.
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New York’s starting five is why they are down 0-2 in this series. That lineup is -29 through two games against the Pacers with a -42.9 net rating and a 155.1 defensive rating.
That has led to calls for a stubborn Tom Thibodeau to shake things up, and it sounds like he will for Game 3, moving Mitchell Robinson into the starting five and Josh Hart to the bench. It’s a change that has been speculated about, and Shams Charania of ESPN says Thibodeau is considering.
This would move New York toward a two-big lineup, reminiscent of the lineup last season in Minnesota where Towns thrived next to Rudy Gobert. The Knicks have a +10.2 net rating this postseason when Robinson and Towns share the court. However, this group is largely untested, the new potential starting five has played just seven minutes together so far this postseason.
When asked after Game 2 about possibly making a change, Thibodeau said, “We always look at everything.” If the change comes, Josh Hart is good with it, he said at shootaround Sunday, via Dan DeVine of Yahoo Sports.
“I’ve been the 15th man, I’ve been the third man, I’ve been the sixth man, I’ve been whatever,” Hart said at the Knicks’ shootaround session before Game 3 on Sunday. “I truly feel like I’m a starter in the league. I think I played amazing this year. So, if he does [make a change] … cool.
“I can’t sit here and preach about sacrifice and getting out of our own personal agendas and all that, and then, if a decision like that is made, then be mad at it, and not want to sacrifice, and not want to do that? That’s not the kind of person that I am. So, if Thibs does that — which, I don’t know if he is or isn’t — I’m all for it. I’m gonna play my game, my minutes, my style, no matter if I’m coming off the bench or starting.”
Thibodeau has been slow to make a change despite the fact that this starting five — Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Hart, and Towns — has struggled throughout the playoffs (-50 through 14 games) and dating back to January. Desperate times, however, can force even Thibodeau to make a change.
He also should consider playing a lot more Miles McBride, who is averaging just seven points a game, but his defense changes the dynamic, which is why he has a +20.6 net rating in this series so far.
Whether any of that is enough down 0-2 in a series and heading to Indiana is another question, but it feels like something the Knicks need to do.
