One of the biggest issues with the New York Knicks this season came at protecting the rim. With Mitchell Robinson on the shelf for most of the season, they had to rely on Karl-Anthony Towns to anchor the interior defense, which was a bet that did not go their way.
Knicks’ Tom Thibodeau hints at playing Mitchell Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns together
Upon Robinson’s return in late February, the rim protection improved, and it became clear that his presence is more important than initially perceived by many. Given Towns’ struggles defending the interior, many have suggested that the Knicks utilize a lineup that has Robinson starting at center and Towns at the power forward position.
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau talked about the possibility of using such a lineup in the playoffs. New York plays the Detroit Pistons in the first round, a team that employs two physical bigs in Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart.
“It’s a small sample size. But we’ve had some good minutes with them, particularly down the stretch here as Mitch has been able to get more rhythm. It’s been good,” Tom Thibodeau said after Tuesday’s practice. “It depends, a lot of it depends on who they have on the floor, but I like it a lot,” Thibodeau said via Peter Botte of the New York Post.
The Knicks could benefit greatly with a double-center lineup
The double-center lineup of Robinson and Towns was rarely used this season, with only 47 minutes of them on the floor together. However, the results were encouraging, making the idea of playing them together a venture that might be worth trying.
The Knicks have experimented with other double-big lineups this year, including stretches where Towns is sharing the floor with Precious Achiuwa. However, Achiuwa is rather undersized and is very limited offensively, which rendered that lineup useless.
Robinson is not a scorer around the perimeter, but he is purely dominant on the interior and is a phenomenal offensive rebounder. Against a physical team like Detroit, New York could benefit greatly from Robinson’s tenacity on the glass and earn second chance opportunities.
Game 1 of their first-round matchup against the Pistons is set for Saturday night at Madison Square Garden. While it is unlikely that Thibodeau will make a change to the starting lineup, there is a strong possibility that Towns and Robinson play a ton of minutes together.