New York Knicks head coach Jeff Hornacek has some ideas in mind about his team’s starting lineup for the 2017-18 season.
The opening day starting lineup last season for the New York Knicks didn’t involve any difficult decisions for Jeff Hornacek. He knew who his five were going to be on opening night. That’s not the case in his second season in New York.Hornacek has to make decisions on multiple positions in the starting lineup now. He spoke to reporters about the possibility of going small with Tim Hardaway Jr. and Courtney Lee.
Via Ian Begley of ESPN New York:
“Yeah I think defensively they’re able to scramble and help each other out and they can switch. There’s going to be teams that that can be rough to do. A big guy at the three spot, Tim and Courtney are only 6-5, 6-4 something like that. They got a 3 man like Gordon Hayward’s size, or something, it can be awfully tough. We might have to do something different. We don’t have to go with the same starting group every single night. There might be nights where we have to change it a little bit. But hopefully the top 10 guys that stick out are in the rotation somehow.”
We know Hardaway will be in the starting lineup along with Kristaps Porzingis. The other three spots are up in the air. Lee could be one of those guys who gets a shot if Hornacek decides to go with a three guard lineup.
Of course, the point guard and center positions are also wide open. Enes Kanter‘s preseason play could make him the favorite at center while Frank Ntilikina’s injury has probably taken him out of the running at the point.
The idea of not going with the same starting five every night isn’t very appealing. You want to have some familiarity with your starters and that only comes through time on the court against the other team’s best players.
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