Grand Opening, Grand Closing: The New York Knicks' Optimal Lineups

What would the optimal starting lineup for the New York Knicks look like ahead of the 2023-24 season?

As the New York Knicks try to contend for a championship in the 2023-24 NBA season, many will ponder what both the best starting and closing five will look like as they attempt to build upon their most successful season in a decade.

Andy Bailey of Bleacher Report listed the best options for starters and closers for each NBA team that would provide the optimal lineup. The Knicks' groups looked mostly the same with one notable exception: starters were Jalen Brunson, Quentin Grimes, RJ Barrett, Julius Randle, and Mitchell Robinson while Josh Hart entered the group in place of Barrett to close things out. 

"There's a real temptation (and argument) to take Barrett out of the New York Knicks' starting five, but Tom Thibodeau has started him in every game for which he's been available for three years, despite the fact that the team's point differential is dramatically worse when he plays," Bailey wrote. "The other four here are obvious, and they fit well enough together to generally win their minutes, with or without Barrett."

New York Knicks wing RJ Barrett will be entering his fifth NBA season when the 2023-24 season begins.  / USA Today Sports

Barrett, the third overall pick of the 2019 draft, has been an odd player for observers to evaluate. While he has put up good numbers, averaging 18.1 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 2.8 assists in four seasons, some think that he is not living up to his full potential. 

The idea of closing games without the team's former top draft pick and best young player may seem strange, but Hart could prove to be a difference-maker for the team and someone the Knicks can't have on the bench at the end of games. Hart's impact was well-apparent in the Knicks' final record: after he came over in a trade deadline deal with Portland, the Knicks went 17-8 and locked up the fifth seed in the Eastern Conference, safe from the mediocrity of the Play-In Tournament.

Management is obviously a fan of Hart, who just signed a four-year, $81 million extension during the offseason on top of his player option for the upcoming campaign.

How the Knicks handle their final fourth quarters will certainly be an intriguing subplot. In the meantime, New York (1-0) continues its preseason endeavors on Saturday night at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).