Previewing the Knicks’ 2024 NBA playoff rotation

[ad_1]

With the NBA playoffs starting soon, the Knicks have just two games to determine their seeding and opening rotation. They’re entering this run without Julius Randle, but with the rest of the roster healthy as of late, they’re well aware of what they have and what they don’t.

For those uncertain as to what the Knicks’ playoff rotation will look like, we’re likely seeing head coach Tom Thibodeau preview it. The past three games, New York has largely run an eight-man rotation — their usual approach to the postseason.

This tightening seems to suggest we know who Thibodeau will rely on as the main eight guys, and who the next men up are. Currently starting are Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Josh Hart, OG Anunoby and Isaiah Hartenstein, with the three reserve spots going to Miles McBride, Bojan Bogdanovic and Mitchell Robinson.

We’ve seen some spot and garbage time minutes from a ninth man, Precious Achiuwa, who stepped up amid all the injuries for some big regular season stretches. Unfortunately, with the Knicks’ center rotation at full strength and another non-shooter (Hart) owning most of the minutes at the four, there’s little room for the energetic Achiuwa. 

He’ll be a useful plug-and-play man if the Knicks’ bigs get into foul trouble or are having an off night, even if New York wants to go bigger in certain matchups. It’s a testament to this team’s depth that they’re leaving some real talent on the sidelines in case of emergency. 

The same goes for Alec Burks, whose 30 percent shooting clip as a Knick bumped him out of regular play. He may not be as reliable as many hoped he’d be, but he could step in to take on some ball-handling and shooting duties if something goes wrong. 

The starters are likely set in stone. That lineup is outscoring teams by a whopping 16.1 points per 100 possessions in 111 minutes played over nine games. 

The lone potential adjustment would be McBride over Hart for more shooting and less size. But it’s unlikely Thibs will go there unless a series is going badly.

He also won’t be splitting Brunson and Hartenstein any time soon to move Robinson back to his starting…

[ad_2]
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/previewing-knicks-2024-nba-playoff-150000555.html

Author : SNY

Publish date : 2024-04-12 15:00:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.