The New York Knicks’ offseason isn’t over yet, as they still need a backup center and the taxpayer mid-level exception to use him.
But the Knicks are already projected to be one of the NBA’s most talented and deep teams. Their top eight players currently consist of (from least to greatest):
- Jalen Brunson
- Miles McBride
- Donte DiVincenzo
- Josh Hart
- Mikal’s Bridges
- OG Anunoby
- Julio Randle
- Mitchell Robinson
The Knicks’ starting five will be Brunson, Bridges, Anunoby, Randle and Robinson. It’s a huge lineup with plenty of shooters, playmakers and defense.
There will be an adjustment period, though. Obviously, Bridges has never played with any of these players in the NBA. And Anunoby, Randle and Robinson never shared the court together last season, as their returns from their respective injuries never quite matched up.
The Knicks are also dismantling one of the NBA’s best starting fives from last year. The Brunson-DiVincenzo-Anunoby-Randle-Isaiah Hartenstein starting five played just 10 games together, but went 9-1 in those games and had a 16.6 net rating. Hartenstein joined the Oklahoma City Thunder as a free agent, and DiVincenzo will presumably now move to the bench.
And while the Knicks’ new projected starting lineup appears to be very good, there is a simple rotation idea that could make the Knicks’ depth even more effective.
The exchange between Bridges and DiVincenzo
At some point in the first quarter, assuming injury or foul trouble doesn’t dictate otherwise, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau’s first substitution should be to bring in DiVincenzo for Bridges.
DiVincenzo is coming off his best NBA season, and while he’s not as talented a player as Bridges in both ways, he offers different skills than Bridges.
DiVincenzo emerged as one of the NBA’s top three-point shooters last season. The 27-year-old guard made 283 three-pointers, third in the NBA and a new Knicks franchise record.
DiVincenzo’s ability to shoot 3s, sometimes from great distances, and his ability to move off the ball would give the Knicks’ spacing a boost. While he doesn’t bring the playmaking and one-on-one scoring ability of Bridges, it would open up more opportunities for Randle and Brunson. Sometimes in basketball, there can be addition by subtraction when it comes to individual offensive ability.
There shouldn’t be a huge drop-off on defense, either. DiVincenzo isn’t as good a defender as Bridges, but he’s excellent at taking on ball-handlers and is an active off-ball defender who can create turnovers.
We already know the Brunson-DiVincenzo-Anunoby-Randle quartet is effective. In 226 minutes over 12 games together last season, the Knicks outscored their opponents by 18.1 points per 100 possessions when all four shared the court.
The DiVincenzo-Bridges swap should also benefit the second unit, as Bridges can become one of the primary playmakers while Thibodeau moves to the bench. Fred Katz of The Athletic recently suggested that Thibodeau might want to stagger Brunson and Bridges’ minutes to keep more playmaking and shooting on the floor.
Bridges wasn’t chosen as the Brooklyn Nets’ go-to scorer, but the reps he’s earned over the past 1.5 seasons in Brooklyn could help him become the go-to player against the Knicks’ reserves. Bridges could play alongside Miles McBride as the Knicks’ backup “point guards.”
Hypothetically, the Knicks could use a backup lineup that includes McBride, Bridges, DiVincenzo, Hart, and a backup center (let’s assume the Knicks re-sign Precious Achiuwa for this exercise). That lineup would be a bit small, but tenacious nonetheless. It would feature plenty of defense, shooting, and cutting, and it could certainly hold its own against most opponents’ backup lineups.
Bridges is one of the NBA’s best forwards, while Hart and DiVincenzo were starters on a team that came within one win of the Eastern Conference finals. It’s easy to imagine all three of them steamrolling other teams’ reserves.
Thibodeau could then gradually shift Anunoby and Randle to add more size and playmaking ability, all while Brunson rests.
This is all speculation, of course, and every NBA season proves that some lineups aren’t as effective in reality as they appear on paper.
The bigger point is that the Knicks have depth, talent and versatility. Trading Bridges for DiVincenzo would allow the Knicks to get back a proven unit on the court: They can bring in one of the league’s best shooters and move one of the league’s best 3-and-D wings to a sixth man of sorts.
