New York Knicks Takeaways From Preseason

Look Into Lineup

The Knicks starting lineup looks to be set. Derrick Rose, Courtney Lee, Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis and Joakim Noah should be the starting five. Brandon Jennings has been talked up as the sixth man, while Lance Thomas should have a role as the first wing off the bench.

After that, there was a lot of minutes open. One of the training camp battles that drew a lot of attention was who would be the first big man off the bench. Veteran Kyle O’Quinn was a holdover from last season, and he was joined by rookies Willy Hernangomez and Marshall Plumlee.

This is an important spot on the roster, as Noah has battled injuries the past couple of seasons. Having a viable backup is important, as they could be pressed into starting duties for extended periods of time. It sounded as though O’Quinn was falling behind in the race, but he looks to be the player Hornacek will turn to in the early going.

In the final preseason game, Hornacek said he was going to try and make it a dry run for the regular season. He would try sticking to a rotation but wanted to get everyone in the game at some point. If the early rotations were a dry run, then O’Quinn’s spot in the rotation looks set.

O’Quinn was the first big man off the bench, following Jennings and Thomas in the second unit. Hernangomez got in the game in the second half to close things out, while Plumlee didn’t see the court.

This could be the big man rotation we see to start the season. It makes sense to lean on the veterans in the early going as the team continues to figure out Hornacek’s schemes. It is encouraging that Hornacek knows he has some options should things go wrong in the front court.