New York Knicks Starting Lineup 2021 Knicks Starting Lineup
41-31, 3rd in East Atlantic
Projected Proj
While there were not many free agents to look at this offseason, the Knicks still have a similar roster to last season. Elfrid Payton will be the starting point guard this season, and Alec Burks is going to start next to him. Burks moved around a few teams last season but was a solid scoring option off the bench. RJ Barrett is going to try and have a strong sophomore season. Starting at small forward is likely what he will do, but the Knicks could always move him back to shooting guard. Julius Randle continues to be the bright spot on this Knicks team and shares the frontcourt with Nerlens Noel and Mitchell Robinson. The Knicks starting five is now a mix of veterans and failed high draft picks.
Starting Lineup
Projected
Most Common Knicks Lineups
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New York Knicks Starting Lineup Analysis
Projected Starting Lineup
PG: Dennis Smith Jr.
Smith Jr. found his way onto the Knicks midway through last season. All in all on the year, he averaged 13.6 points per game with 2.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists. He was the 9th overall pick in the 2017 draft, so that puts him at the ripe age of 21. He certainly has room to grow, but in what we saw last year, he's likely not going to make or break anything in terms of the Knicks' production. He's pretty much exactly what you'd expect of a PG on a big-market team with a (very) losing record.
SG: RJ Barrett
Undoubtedly the most exciting thing about the Knicks' starting lineup, fans all around the country will be tuning into Knicks games to get a look at this young stud out of Duke. He averaged 22.6 points per game with 4.3 assets and a FG% of 30.8 last year for the Blue Devils. While he was technically listed as a forward at Duke, he'll fill in the shooting guard role nicely at the NBA level. He stands at 6'7" and weighs 202 lbs, so he'll be more than able to hold his own at the position. He's posted multiple double-doubles in NBA Summer League games thus far.
SF: Kevin Knox
Knox, the Knicks' 9th overall draft pick in 2018, had a very subpar season last year. Sure, he averaged 12.8 points per game, but he also only grabbed 4.5 rebounds per game. His FG% is pretty low at 37.0, but the good news is his 3P% wasn't far behind at 34.3. Is he an exciting kid to watch? Not really, but the Knicks aren't an exciting team overall. One of his biggest highlights of the summer was the clip of Zion ripping the ball out of his hands and immediately going up for a huge slam. Kind of poetic when you think about it (at the expense of Knicks fans and their expectations going into the offseason).
PF: Julius Randle
Randle is another beacon of hope in the Knicks' lineup this year. Having played four season for the Lakers to begin his career and then one for the Pelicans last year, he'll find himself in a Knicks uniform to open things up this year. He averaged an impressible 21.4 points per game and 8.7 rebounds last year. His PER of 21.02 had him rated at 51st in the entire league.
C: Mitchell Robinson
For a 2018 second round pick, Mitchell Robinson's PER of 22.01 last season was a pleasant surprise for the Knicks. That put him, strangely enough, at 34th in the NBA. He averaged 6.4 rebounds per game last year, which is fine, but getting that number up by at least one this season would help the Knicks immensely. Having him and Randle on the post will be an interesting duo to look out for this season.
