Over the last two years, we’ve seen different iterations of the double-big lineup that features both Karl-Anthony Towns and Mitchell Robinson. There are reasons that both Tom Thibodeau and Mike Brown have gone to it. It matches up better theoretically against bigger teams. It gives them an actual rim protector in Robinson, without giving up Towns’ shooting. And it gives them a real rebounding advantage-something both coaches have prioritized. But there are also a lot of reasons, and evidence, that it’s not a fix-it-all lineup that works at all times.
First of all, pushing Towns to play the four, while Robinson plays the five, takes away a lot of what makes Towns great offensively. Opposing teams can put power forwards on him, making it easier for them to defend his threes, while also taking away his ability to drive past opposing centers on closeouts. And in the rare case that Towns can, and does get past his man from beyond the key, the paint is often clogged by Robinson’s man due to his inability to spread the floor.
This lineup configuration also often relies on Towns being able to defend opposing forwards, which can often spell doom on that end of the floor as well. Factor in the Knicks’ lack of big man depth, and you get an even larger problem. When the Knicks start both Towns and Robinson, they are starting their only two good big men. One of them, Towns, is always a threat to get into foul trouble. And the other Robinson is on a pseudo-minute restriction. That means when Towns gets into foul trouble, which isn’t infrequently, guys like Ariel Hukporti and Guerschon Yabusele are tasked with playing more minutes than the team or its fans would prefer.
And all of that had led to the pairing of Towns and Robinson as starters, producing very mixed, if not downright bad, results. New York is 5-7 when the pair start, and Robinson’s offensive and defensive ratings are both significantly worse as a start than they are as a reserve.
But that isn’t to say that the lineup itself is the problem. It’s more about how and when it’s being used. When Robinson does come off the bench, it’s yielded great results for the most part. As you can see above, the Knicks have a +12 net rating in 395 possessions when Towns starts, and Robinson comes off the bench. Doing so allows Robinson to dominate and feast off of opposing backup bigs, who often do not have the requisite size, skill, athleticism, or ability to contain Robinson’s rebounding abilities. It also gives the Knicks more insurance for when and if Towns gets into foul trouble. And lastly, when they do end up on the court at the same time, they can often take over and change the trajectory of the game with their size and rebounding. Ultimately, it gives the Knicks a much clearer rotation and the ability to be more versatile with the kinds of lineups they can throw out there at any given time.
Going forward, Josh Hart and Deuce McBride should be the only two starters joining the other four, with the latter being my preferred choice given his point-of-attack defense and shooting gravity. But whichever way Brown decides to go, the double-big starting lineup experiment should be all but over, and the lineup itself should only be used as a means to alter the game flow.
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