Knicks Preseason Starting Lineup Leaves Much To Be Desired

The New York Knicks picked up the victory in their first preseason game, defeating Bauru from the Brazilian League. This was a game the Knicks were obviously supposed to win, going up against an inferior opponent void of much, if any, NBA talent. Even so, there were some things to take away from the game, both good and bad.

One takeaway was that the starting lineup that Derek Fisher decided to use, Jose Calderon, Sasha Vujacic, Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis and Robin Lopez, was not a good look. Now there are some things to know, such as Arron Afflalo being injured and unable to play. He should have a spot in the starting lineup locked up along with Anthony, Lopez and probably Calderon. But, even with just one preseason game under their belts, that was enough time to realize that lineup is not one the Knicks should use as their starting lineup or even rely on for major minutes at any time during the regular season.

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This lineup lacks a lot of things that leads to success in the NBA at this time. While that unit would surround Anthony with a ton of shooting options from the perimeter, it leaves a lot to be desired.

None of those players are able to create shots for themselves at this time. Porzingis may be able to eventually, but that would be asking for a lot out of the 20-year old Latvian as he tries to acclimate himself to the NBA and live in America. Calderon and Vujacic have never been creators for their own shot, while Lopez is just a role player offensively.

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Also, that group would be severely outmatched on a nightly basis from an athletic standpoint. They are too slow and would be run off the court by basically every other NBA team. They were able to get to where they wanted to as they were just more talented than the Bauru players, but the results weren’t dominating. The Knicks starting five didn’t have one player register a positive +/- ratio and Calderon and Lopez each went -4. That is quite surprising and unencouraging given the fact that the Knicks won by 19 points.

The biggest problem though would come on the defensive end. Calderon is near the bottom defensively already, so the Knicks will be spending a lot of time this season trying to cover up for that. Vujacic is not the player to do that, as he is better fit for a role similar to what Steve Novak filled for the Knicks a couple of seasons ago. Anthony, even when not recovering from knee surgery, struggled to keep up with players on the perimeter. That will not change at this stage in his career, as he is trending more and more towards playing power forward.

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But, Porzingis and Lopez would give the Knicks a dominant rim protection duo. Porzingis may not have the strength to play one-on-one defense yet, but his length alone will make it difficult for opposing players to score on him. The effort he puts forth will help make up for the lack of strength and size he has currently. Lopez has been, and should continue to be, one of the premier rim protectors in the NBA.

The only negative to that pairing is that it pushes Anthony to small forward. That is something that may eventually happen for the Knicks, but one thing for sure is that the backcourt cannot be Calderon and Vujacic.

Yes this group probably played together only because Arron Afflalo was out, and yes it was only the first preseason game, but it is a lineup we shouldn’t see much more of, if ever. The preseason is a time for tinkering and figuring things out, but Fisher should be experimenting with players such as Jerian Grant or Langston Galloway with the starting lineup; it is a more likely scenario once the games start to count in just three weeks. There isn’t much time to work on things in the preseason, so the Knicks cannot afford to waste time with lineups they will not be using when the regular season comes around.

With Afflalo probably missing the next preseason game later this week, the Knicks should try a new combination in the starting five. A smaller lineup with Anthony at power forward and some combination of Grant, Galloway or Derrick Williams rounding out the starting should be their next experiment.

It is tough to take any definitives away from the first preseason game, but one thing that the Knicks should have figured out is that the lineup combination of Calderon, Vujacic, Anthony, Porzingis and Lopez is not one they should rely on very much, if at all, when the season truly gets underway.

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