New York Knicks: Early starting lineup projections

With most of the New York Knicks free agency signings completed, it’s time to take a first look at who will possibly be starting for the team on opening night. 

At the time of this article being published, the New York Knicks have signed Julius Randle, Taj Gibson, Bobby Portis, Wayne Ellington, Reggie Bullock, and Elfrid Payton. While the New York Knicks’ new players added in free agency are undoubtedly talented, it still hurts to miss out on Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving.

Instead of dwelling on the past for too long, let’s instead look into the future and see what the starting lineup will potentially look like for game 1 of the regular season.

Point Guard: Dennis Smith, Jr.

With the point guard battle likely coming down to Dennis Smith Jr., Frank Ntilikina and Elfrid Payton, this is Smith Jr.’s spot to lose. The NC State product put up 14.7 points and 5.4 assists per game in his 21 games as a Knick last season. He has apparent flaws such as his porous defense and his woeful shooting (32.2% career shooter from 3), but his ability to break down defenses with his passing vision and insane athleticism should be enough to get the starting nod. He’s still only 21 years old, so there is a significant possibility that he could come back even better than before.

Shooting Guard: R.J. Barrett

Barring a terrible summer league performance, R.J. Barrett will most likely begin his New York Knicks career as the starting shooting guard. The 19-year old started all 38 of his games at Duke, and he should be prepared to take the reigns for New York once the regular season starts. Allonzo Trier is the only real threat to start over Barrett, but the #3 overall pick should have fans and coaches convinced that he’s going to be ready to produce from day one.

https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1094049362450235392

Small Forward: Reggie Bullock

While this projection could change as soon as the end of the NBA summer league, Reggie Bullock should be the starting small forward over Kevin Knox right now. Knox indeed showed potential, but his rookie season left a lot to be desired. His shooting wasn’t always consistent, as his 37% shooting from the field indicated. His defense was unsightly at times, and he struggled to adjust to the pace of the league, as evidenced by his placement as dead last in the entire NBA in ESPN’s real plus/minus rankings.

Meanwhile, Reggie Bullock has started in 112 of his last 125 games and has great numbers as a starter, averaging 11.8 points per game and shooting over 40% from three. His floor-spacing ability is crucial for this team, which is going to help open up driving lanes for Dennis Smith Jr. and R.J. Barrett. Kevin Knox is still just 19 years old and has tremendous upside, so it wouldn’t be at all surprising if he took over the starting gig by the end of the year.

Power Forward: Julius Randle

As soon as the signing of his 3-year, 63 million dollar contract was announced, it was clear that Julius Randle would be the team’s new starting power forward. The 24-year old averaged 21.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while shooting 52.4% from the field last year, despite only starting 49 out of his 73 games played. He also displayed a decent 3 point shot, hitting at a 34.4% clip while taking 2.7 attempts per game. It’s going to be exciting to see what he can do in his first season as a full-time starter.

https://twitter.com/PelicansNBA/status/1106748563881689088

Center: Mitchell Robinson

While his per game averages of 7.3 points and 6.4 rebounds seem ordinary, fans know that Mitchell Robinson is anything but. The young center is looking like the steal of the 2018 draft after being taken by the Knicks with the 36th overall pick. Robinson had a dominant second half of his rookie year, and he ended up finishing #2 in the NBA in blocks per game. (2.4) The fact that he accomplished this feat in just 20.6 minutes per game has people salivating over what he could become when he’s fully unleashed.

His frontcourt fit with Julius Randle should be perfect, as his shot-blocking instincts make up for Randle’s defensive shortcomings. It wouldn’t be hard to see Robinson average a double-double this upcoming season, and he could easily outperform expectations, much like this entire Knicks squad.