During the first few weeks of the 2025/26 season, Mike Brown‘s preferred starting lineup for the Knicks featured Jalen Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Mitchell Robinson, with Landry Shamet stepping in when Anunoby went down with a hamstring strain.
With Shamet now sidelined due to an injury of his own, Anunoby still recovering, and Robinson no longer treated as an every-game starter, Brown said this week that he plans to stick for now with a smaller starting five that features Josh Hart and Miles McBride alongside Brunson, Towns, and Bridges, per Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. The Knicks used that group in victories over Brooklyn on Monday and Charlotte on Wednesday.
“[I’ll] continue to stay with it to see what direction it goes,” Brown said. “Everything is fluid in this business. Anything can happen at any time.”
Brunson said there’s “obviously chemistry” among those five players, who were the Knicks’ most-used players besides Anunoby last season. Bondy, meanwhile, argues that it’s probably the team’s fastest and most offensively talented lineup until Anunoby is ready to return.
Still, the numbers don’t suggest it’s been the Knicks’ best lineup so far. In 35 minutes together, that Brunson-Towns-Bridges-Hart-McBride group has a net rating of -10.3.
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- After averaging 23.7 minutes in his first 10 outings this season, Hart has logged 33.2 MPG in his past six appearances — more importantly, he’s seeing more action in fourth quarters. Brown acknowledged on Wednesday that keeping Hart on the bench for a couple fourth quarters earlier in the month was a mistake, Bondy writes. “I’ll be the first to say that wasn’t the right thing to do because he does so many great things for us and our group and our coaching staff,” Brown said. “And obviously as time has gone on, we’ve gotten a better feel for how we’re going to play him and he’s got a better feel, too. But back then he obviously could’ve b—hed or complained or threw a fit. He didn’t. And he continued to believe in the process, even though what I was doing was wrong at the time.”
- Hart was robbed of $185K in watches and jewelry in September, according to a report from Amanda Woods, Estrella McDaniel, and Matt Troutman of The New York Post. The theft occurred at a New York City hotel on September 5 when Hart, who was in town for a podcast event, was out of his room.
- With a win over Milwaukee on Friday, the Knicks will clinch the top spot in their NBA Cup group and become the only team to advance to the knockout round in three straight years. The team is taking that opportunity seriously, according to Brown. “Yes, we talk about [the NBA Cup],” the Knicks’ head coach said, per Bondy. “I think in life, pressure is a privilege, so you try to manufacture it from time to time. I think if you’re in a situation where there is pressure, you’re doing pretty good because obviously if you’re competitive you’re going to put pressure on yourself no matter what. So trying to feel it from the outside a little bit as much as you can is a privilege and it gets you ready for the postseason, in my opinion, so I bring it up to our guys.”
- Hart suggested that the NBA Cup champion should be awarded a half-win to give that team the tiebreaker advantage in the regular season standings at season’s end, according to Bondy. As it stands, the NBA Cup championship game doesn’t count at all toward the regular season, so the only incentive is the prize money at stake. “For me, that’ll be watch money,” Hart joked.
- Ian Begley of SNY.tv (YouTube link) fields a handful of Knicks-related questions in his latest video mailbag, including a couple about the team’s likely priorities at the trade deadline — Begley believes a reliable backup point guard will be at the top of New York’s wish list.
It’s good to hear Brown say that about Hart. Cause I have been waiting for him to really use him. He has been banged up. So you have to be pay. Only you think a coach would know his top players. You had all summer to watch film. Seems like he is coming around on Mitch too. No starter plays 16 mins a game. That’s called your backup center.
“ according to Bondy. As it stands, the NBA Cup championship game doesn’t count at all toward the regular season, so the only incentive is the prize money at stake.” ——- spoken like a true non
Only reason to play a game is to win. You don’t get in a tournament to lose. You don’t get to the Final game to not care if you win or lose …..
Mitch Robinson is an NBA center. He is a premier rim protector and rebounder. He can start for a lot of teams. Considering they have an offense that’s built for him. Like Mitch n AD, like Mitch n Sabonis, like Mitch n J Jackson, like Mitch n Banchero. That is where Mitch will pay high dividends. By controlling the defensive end with help from his 4. And by letting the 4 control the offense with help from his offensive rebounding. With a prime 4. Mitch can be very effective as a supporting player 28-30 mins a game. Cause on the defensive end he is prime time.
Towns isn’t a prime 4. He is a prime 5 who can step out on the perimeter. Can play some 4. You wouldn’t make Jokic a 4. Yet cause we got Mitch you think Towns should be a 4. The media doesn’t play ball. They’ve never won anything or never build a winning team. They only talk and trash players and teams for readership. The Knicks were the second best team in the East last yr with Towns playing center. You don’t mess with that. You try to enhance that. You look to make that accomplishment better. Not by taking him away from his best position. You do it by adding a defensive 4. That can watch Towns back on D. Towns is one of best rebounders in the game as a Center. Go look at his stats with Rudy ……. You add a 4 to support Towns game as a 5.
The Knicks traded for OG and paid him. To be the best 2way SF in the game. Yet now without Randle he is really playing the 4 next to Towns. Mitch is on an expiring contract. Next big move for Knicks has to be a defensive stud at the 4. Mitch, Yabusele, Diadet , Kolek all could be moved. I like Isaac, I like Wolf, I like Portis, I like Reid. And I would take Looney and Bey for Mitch today. Adding a defensive 4 helps Towns and OG. Ultimately it makes the Knicks better and deeper.
Last year Towns stats — 24.4 pts, 13 reb, .567% 2pt,
.420% 3pt ….. with no Mitch
This year Towns stats — 22.4 pts, 12.3 reb, .517% 2pt,
.326% 3pt …. With Mitch playing 16 mins a game.
Mitch’s body clearly cannot hold up for a meager 18 mins a game. I don’t know what you are talking about 28-30. It’s not in the realm of possible.
Above is a very long winded way of saying Mitch stinks, and he does. He is basically a worse Robert Williams III
Towns will get wrecked at the 5 and has his entire career. He lacks sufficient effort for rebounding, and can pout when not receiving enough touches on offense, refusing to hustle up and down the floor. A Bam or Duren, athletic bigs who run the floor make KAT a constant breakdown point within transition defense. KAT is really close comparison to familiar face Kristaps Porzingis. Better shooter but shorter and worse defense than KP, but once you see it, you can’t unsee it.
Mitch has avg 24 mins for his career. Learn to argue and I might care what you say. Towns has been a center his whole life. And definitely his whole Knick life. Reading facts and stats takes like 10 mins …..
Ofcourse unless its YOU.
LOL. Brown is new here. Someone needs to tell him that the lineup he thinks he’s discovered is essentially the starting 5 from last season (once OG comes back and replaces McBride). It wasn’t a championship starting lineup last year, and won’t be this year. The lineup is too small overall, and, more importantly, lacks a rim protector. Those factors mean that, even with the plus defenders and scrapy guys we have, the overall team defense will be middling at best, and big physical teams will present a constant challenge.
If Brown is really going down this rabbit hole, then it shows just how mediocre a coach he is, starting with his true expectations (low). This starting lineup does have chemistry and that will help the team win a few games (against the bottom of the league). But our ceiling, with it, is at or below the sitting duck level.
They beat Charlotte and Brooklyn, nothing has been learned or discovered. So many words for such a silly insignificant accomplishment… a very obvious case of misdirection/overcompensation
Knicks are down players. And they are winning games they should be winning. I’m good with that……