[The Strickland] The case for the Knicks to start McBrunson: There’s one spot open in the Knicks’ starting lineup & one choice who’d tie up a whole lotta loose ends: Deuce McBride
[The Strickland] The case for the Knicks to start McBrunson: There’s one spot open in the Knicks’ starting lineup & one choice who’d tie up a whole lotta loose ends: Deuce McBride
idk how popular the opinion is but i feel like deuce at the 2 with the starters and hart as 6th man could work VERY well. especially since we have kolek shamet and payne for the 1-2, but our next man up at forward is dadiet
STATnMELO650
I wish Thibs would start McBride, but you know he doesn’t have the balls to do that. But if Hart shoots closer to 40% than 30%, this point is obsolete.
solo118
I think we get too hung up on who starts vs bench, in the end Deuce at this point since DDV is out will get a very nice amount of playing time.
There is scoring at every position with Hart starting (except for him lol) and the bench unit will need scoring if they need relief or a quick pop of energy which Deuce can provide.
I think Hart bring a lot to the table, and I feel we may need his rebounding prowess alongside the starters. That is what he is here for, not scoring.
Thibs can try things out in pre-season to see how it goes, and honestly whatever decision he makes I will be happy to roll with
chazriverstone
I like this, as well. Hart is an amazing offensive rebounder, but with Deuce you can truly play 5 out. And he is such a solid defender; I’ve always liked his fit next to Brunson. Plus Hart is great off the bench for that energy he brings, and can really sub in 2-4, depending upon everyone availability/ performance, etc.
That said, I’m also looking forward to/ hoping we get to see Mitch at the 5, KAT at the 4, OG at the 3 (which I think is more natural for him, honestly), Mikal at the 2, and of course Brunson at point. Here’s to hoping we keep Mitch and he comes back with a new cyborg leg, healthier than ever
nazrmo78
It could work. In fact it’s probably the only way it could work. Deuce needs another primary creator playing next to him to be effective and when that happens we typically play well. However, even still, Im not really a fan of it when to compound this now small perimeter everybody also wants to play a big man pairing of OG and Towns. You play a beefy interior then ok you can go small backcourt, but you aren’t gonna go small everywhere. Cmon
PIDDYPUFFPUFF
I think McBride would fit really well at the two-guard spot. He has gotten more comfortable handling the ball but his best attributes are shooting and defending so, having him next to Brunson burner allows him to focus on what heās best at.
Also another point is that it gives the starters a secondary ball handler if they need it for whatever reason. I guess mikal could also be that guy, which is great, but also you have to keep in mind that in order for the team to be its best, some guys have to sacrifice.
Captain_Saftey
I think what really excites me about our team is that I can imagine the lineup changing a lot depending on who weāre playing. I think JB, Mikal, OG, and KAT will always be starters but thereās so much opportunity with that last slot.
Are we playing a big man like Embiid? Put Big Meech in there to guard him.
Is there a star PG with speed like Kyrie we need to lock up? Deuce comes in
If we need more wing protection there Hart, I imagine that will be the move for when we play the Celtics.
Very dynamic lineup and very excited to see what they do this year
cesarjulius
i’d still want to see hart as the day 1 starter, because of his rebounding and size/switchability, but if he can’t hit open shots after like 5 games, why not make the switch?
T-Bills
My bet is Josh Hart starts at 4. I like Deuce but we need some parameter defense off the bench. Reality is Deuce is going to play more minutes, whether he comes off the bench or not.
dennishitchjr
Against Boston I am starting Precious and would bring in both Hart and McBride when Pritchard comes in for Jrue or Derrick. Iām closing with Jalen, Josh, Bridges, OG and KAT.
lazyguy2525
Deuce is not a starting two guard or point guard. This is elite level trolling.
Daconvix
I like Deuce but cmon he is not ready to be a full time starter. Plus running 2 6ā1 guards in the backcourt sounds like a terrible idea even if we have great defensive wings with them
ZeroScorpion3
We know how Thibs works. He plays the guys major minutes depending on how they match up with the other teams players. It’s not set in stone, it’s a fluid process through the game.
ryankidd77
Iām so proud of what Deuce has become. Dude worked so hard and is really seeing the pay off. LGK!
Training101
I’m all for players that can do more but would rather they play their true position to avoid possible strain/stress. Put the biggest boys we got at their position and watch them hopefully thrive!
dreamvomit
As soon as the trade was made I assumed deuce would be starter. He maximizes the spacing. 5 legit good to excellent 3 point shooters on the floor. Hart should be at 3 as much as possible, not the 2. If heās affecting games with his rebounding and hustle, he can close. If not, deuce can close.
icebucket22
My thought has been to have Hart come off the bench. He will finish games anyway so it doesnāt matter to him if he starts or not. And he has also flourished in that role anyway. But Deuce is not the replacement for Hart. Iād rather see OG at the 3 instead of the 4. Iād like to see Mitch at the 5 and KAT at the 4. But since Mitch is out and even questionable to even suit up for us again, Iād have Precious start at the 4.
Brunson-Mikal-OG-Precious-KAT is a solid lineup that preserves our bench depth.
DanUnbreakable
Back court will be really small. Hart played out of his mind as a starter last year vs off the bench. Heās going to clean up a lot of the mistakes as well as be a key contributor in the rebounding department. I think we will see both though but by the All star break, heās going to be starting.
Swizzlefritz
Know who would have been the perfect 2 to start with this crew? Dante.
awesometown3000
Not really jazzed about the reality of starting a backcourt of two undersized guards no matter who we have on the wing. Also like many great bench players around the league, there’s power in having their minutes and the scope of their responsibilities limited to when they can be most effective, sort of like Naz Reid.
WorkersUnited111
I agree Hart should come off the bench so he can spell both Mikal or OG. Don’t agree it should be Deuce as the starter. I think it should be Precious until Mitch comes back. Put KAT at the 4.
ShoNuff1109
Thank you thread. Been saying this since the trade. Glad Iām not the only one
ShoNuff1109
Starting Mitch is an insult to Divo and Randle. This trade was made to answer the depth at the 5. Towns is a better 5 than Randle. Not a better 4.
KidSickarus
Set the deuce loose imo, worth a look for sure. Wonder if weāll see it in preseason
24 Comments
idk how popular the opinion is but i feel like deuce at the 2 with the starters and hart as 6th man could work VERY well. especially since we have kolek shamet and payne for the 1-2, but our next man up at forward is dadiet
I wish Thibs would start McBride, but you know he doesn’t have the balls to do that. But if Hart shoots closer to 40% than 30%, this point is obsolete.
I think we get too hung up on who starts vs bench, in the end Deuce at this point since DDV is out will get a very nice amount of playing time.
There is scoring at every position with Hart starting (except for him lol) and the bench unit will need scoring if they need relief or a quick pop of energy which Deuce can provide.
I think Hart bring a lot to the table, and I feel we may need his rebounding prowess alongside the starters. That is what he is here for, not scoring.
Thibs can try things out in pre-season to see how it goes, and honestly whatever decision he makes I will be happy to roll with
I like this, as well. Hart is an amazing offensive rebounder, but with Deuce you can truly play 5 out. And he is such a solid defender; I’ve always liked his fit next to Brunson. Plus Hart is great off the bench for that energy he brings, and can really sub in 2-4, depending upon everyone availability/ performance, etc.
That said, I’m also looking forward to/ hoping we get to see Mitch at the 5, KAT at the 4, OG at the 3 (which I think is more natural for him, honestly), Mikal at the 2, and of course Brunson at point. Here’s to hoping we keep Mitch and he comes back with a new cyborg leg, healthier than ever
It could work. In fact it’s probably the only way it could work. Deuce needs another primary creator playing next to him to be effective and when that happens we typically play well. However, even still, Im not really a fan of it when to compound this now small perimeter everybody also wants to play a big man pairing of OG and Towns. You play a beefy interior then ok you can go small backcourt, but you aren’t gonna go small everywhere. Cmon
I think McBride would fit really well at the two-guard spot. He has gotten more comfortable handling the ball but his best attributes are shooting and defending so, having him next to Brunson burner allows him to focus on what heās best at.
Also another point is that it gives the starters a secondary ball handler if they need it for whatever reason. I guess mikal could also be that guy, which is great, but also you have to keep in mind that in order for the team to be its best, some guys have to sacrifice.
I think what really excites me about our team is that I can imagine the lineup changing a lot depending on who weāre playing. I think JB, Mikal, OG, and KAT will always be starters but thereās so much opportunity with that last slot.
Are we playing a big man like Embiid? Put Big Meech in there to guard him.
Is there a star PG with speed like Kyrie we need to lock up? Deuce comes in
If we need more wing protection there Hart, I imagine that will be the move for when we play the Celtics.
Very dynamic lineup and very excited to see what they do this year
i’d still want to see hart as the day 1 starter, because of his rebounding and size/switchability, but if he can’t hit open shots after like 5 games, why not make the switch?
My bet is Josh Hart starts at 4. I like Deuce but we need some parameter defense off the bench. Reality is Deuce is going to play more minutes, whether he comes off the bench or not.
Against Boston I am starting Precious and would bring in both Hart and McBride when Pritchard comes in for Jrue or Derrick. Iām closing with Jalen, Josh, Bridges, OG and KAT.
Deuce is not a starting two guard or point guard. This is elite level trolling.
I like Deuce but cmon he is not ready to be a full time starter. Plus running 2 6ā1 guards in the backcourt sounds like a terrible idea even if we have great defensive wings with them
We know how Thibs works. He plays the guys major minutes depending on how they match up with the other teams players. It’s not set in stone, it’s a fluid process through the game.
Iām so proud of what Deuce has become. Dude worked so hard and is really seeing the pay off. LGK!
I’m all for players that can do more but would rather they play their true position to avoid possible strain/stress. Put the biggest boys we got at their position and watch them hopefully thrive!
As soon as the trade was made I assumed deuce would be starter. He maximizes the spacing. 5 legit good to excellent 3 point shooters on the floor. Hart should be at 3 as much as possible, not the 2. If heās affecting games with his rebounding and hustle, he can close. If not, deuce can close.
My thought has been to have Hart come off the bench. He will finish games anyway so it doesnāt matter to him if he starts or not. And he has also flourished in that role anyway. But Deuce is not the replacement for Hart. Iād rather see OG at the 3 instead of the 4. Iād like to see Mitch at the 5 and KAT at the 4. But since Mitch is out and even questionable to even suit up for us again, Iād have Precious start at the 4.
Brunson-Mikal-OG-Precious-KAT is a solid lineup that preserves our bench depth.
Back court will be really small. Hart played out of his mind as a starter last year vs off the bench. Heās going to clean up a lot of the mistakes as well as be a key contributor in the rebounding department. I think we will see both though but by the All star break, heās going to be starting.
Know who would have been the perfect 2 to start with this crew? Dante.
Not really jazzed about the reality of starting a backcourt of two undersized guards no matter who we have on the wing. Also like many great bench players around the league, there’s power in having their minutes and the scope of their responsibilities limited to when they can be most effective, sort of like Naz Reid.
I agree Hart should come off the bench so he can spell both Mikal or OG. Don’t agree it should be Deuce as the starter. I think it should be Precious until Mitch comes back. Put KAT at the 4.
Thank you thread. Been saying this since the trade. Glad Iām not the only one
Starting Mitch is an insult to Divo and Randle. This trade was made to answer the depth at the 5. Towns is a better 5 than Randle. Not a better 4.
Set the deuce loose imo, worth a look for sure. Wonder if weāll see it in preseason