If New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau is to be believed, the team is going to be making a significant schematic change this year.
There has been buzz all offseason about the Knicks going "small" more often this coming season. Not only are the Knicks thin at center, perhaps necessitating some tweaks, but playing Julius Randle and OG Anunoby as the team's "big men" would allow Thibodeau to play more of the Knicks' two-way guards and wings — the strength of the roster.
It would be a significant change because Thibodeau has rarely played "small" lineups as Knicks head coach. According to Basketball-Reference's position splits, Randle has played center with the Knicks just 5% of the time — the Knicks almost always keep a traditional center on the court.
However, in an interview with NBA.com's Steve Aschburner, Thibodeau, who is reticent about his tactical plans, twice said the Knicks will go to "small" looks more often this season.
First, Thibodeau noted Anunoby's defensive prowess could let it happen.
"I think we have versatility, where we can play smaller at times because of OG’s ability to guard big," Thibodeau said. "Julius and [Josh] Hart can guard big as well."
The Athletic's Fred Katz has previously reported that Thibodeau wanted to use Anunoby as a small-ball five last season, but Anunoby's repeated injuries prevented him from doing it.
Thibodeau later told Aschburner that he plans to use Randle as a center, but only in small bursts.
"We’ll look at some different things, because we have versatility — we could see Julius more at the 5," Thibodeau said. "I don’t want to do that for long stretches, it would take its toll, but to have him do it for 10 or 15 minutes, I think he can do it well. He also would create a lot of [offensive] advantages."
SNY's Ian Begley previously reported that Randle is willing to accept any role asked of him, as he believes this Knicks team is capable of winning big. That presumably includes playing center, which as Thibodeau notes, could take a physical toll after a while.
Nonetheless, the Knicks could trot out several different "small" lineups, which would feature lots of shooting, ball-handling, and playmaking. A lineup of, say, Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, Mikal Bridges, Anunoby, and Randle could be dynamic on offense and good enough on defense to withstand size disparities. Think of it as the Knicks' version of the Golden State Warriors "Death Lineup."
The Knicks could also rotate players like Josh Hart and Miles McBride into those lineups to add more rebounding or defense.
Of course, it's only mid-September, and there's a long way to go until real games where Thibodeau could try these lineups.
Nonetheless, it's encouraging for Knicks fans that Thibodeau is already openly talking about fairly significant adjustments.
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