Sports
Projecting Knicks' Depth Chart, Rotation After 2023 NBA Free Agency – Bleacher Report
Between the 2021-22 and 2022-23 NBA seasons, the New York Knicks flipped their record around.
In just a single season, they went from a disappointing 37-45 mark to a promising 45-37 record. That was enough for the ‘Bockers to lock up the fifth seed in the East, and they wound up turning that playoff ticket into a trip to the second round.
New York’s decision-makers saw that as reason enough to essentially run it back with the same group next season. The Knicks made a few tweaks this offseason—Derrick Rose out, Donte DiVincenzo in—but they largely kept the core intact.
It’s too early to tell whether this commitment to continuity will be enough to climb the Eastern Conference ladder, but it does make it pretty easy to project how coach Tom Thibodeau will handle his roster in the upcoming 2023-24 campaign.
Point guard: Jalen Brunson, Immanuel Quickley, Miles McBride
Shooting guard: Quentin Grimes, Donte DiVincenzo, Evan Fournier
Small forward: RJ Barrett, Josh Hart
Power forward: Julius Randle, Isaiah Roby
Center: Mitchell Robinson, Isaiah Hartenstein, Jericho Sims
Starters: Jalen Brunson, Quentin Grimes
Last summer, the Knicks made a $104 million bet on Brunson’s ability to do more away from the Dallas Mavericks and out from behind the shadow of Luka Dončić. Brunson immediately rewarded them for that belief by posting numbers that arguably should have earned him the first All-Star honor of his career (24 points on 49.1/41.6/82.9 shooting and 6.2 assists against 2.1 turnovers).
New York will continue to follow his lead and grant him all the floor time he can handle.
Grimes essentially became a full-time starter in his sophomore season—66 starts in 71 games—and there’s no obvious reason to bump him out of this spot. His three-and-D game is a great complement to the more high-profile players in the opening group.
Reserves: Immanuel Quickley, Donte DiVincenzo, Miles McBride, Evan Fournier
Despite having a hole in the frontcourt (more on that later), the Knicks’ bench should be among the NBA’s best. The backcourt combo of Quickley and DiVincenzo is a big reason why. Both are two-way contributors who should work well together, since they can initiate offense or play off the ball. Their collective energy will be felt every time they hit the hardwood.
For McBride to see the floor, he needs either an injury in front of him or dramatic growth to his offensive game. For Fournier to get minutes, he probably needs a trade out of town.
Starters: RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson
This trio doesn’t offer much in terms of spacing, but it has proven it can make this work. The three logged 946 minutes together this past season, and the Knicks won those minutes by 3.2 points per 100 possessions, per NBA.com.
Randle should once again rank among the league’s minutes leaders—he’s been top 20 each of the past three seasons—especially since the trade of Obi Toppin essentially left him without a backup. Barrett will see a ton of floor time, too, though he could see a slight reduction if he can’t elevate his offense. Between Hart, Grimes and DiVincenzo, the Knicks have some options at the 3 spot if Barrett isn’t producing.
Robinson’s minutes average has landed in the high-20s each of the past three seasons, and it probably isn’t budging much from there. That allows the Knicks to soak up all he can provide as a pogo-stick center while also allowing them to change things up with Hartenstein in the middle.
Reserves: Josh Hart, Isaiah Hartenstein, Jericho Sims, Isaiah Roby
Hart has a chance to lead all reserves in minutes this upcoming season. He’ll be Barrett’s primary backup and could see a lot of action as a small-ball 4, too, since Toppin was never replaced. Hart can be too passive at times on the offensive end, but his versatility and energy are both hugely helpful to this team.
Hartenstein is the only other player in this mix guaranteed to have a regular role. New York could arguably use him even more than it did this past season, especially as a passer. Otherwise, though, Sims will be limited by his role as New York’s third center, and Roby might not even be on the roster, since his salary is non-guaranteed.