2026 NBA Finals Showdown: Can the Unstoppable Knicks Dethrone the Fearless Spurs?

The Knicks have two ways they could go about countering Wembanyama. They could use five-out lineups with Karl-Anthony Towns at the five to space the floor and keep Wembanyama out of the paint. Or, they could replicate what the Oklahoma City Thunder did and use the bruising Mitchell Robinson (who is expected to play, despite having surgery on his broken pinky finger) to beat up on the lanky Frenchman.
In all likelihood, New York will deploy a blend of both of these tactics. However, one thing to monitor is how Josh Hart’s minutes look based on what philosophy the Knicks are going for. If they want to space Wembanyama out, playing Hart likely won’t work, as any benefits they get from Towns’ tremendous shooting prowess will be nullified by the Spurs’ ability to put their center on Hart. Look for the Knicks to lean more on Miles McBride (a career 37.4% 3-point shooter) and Landry Shamet (38.6%) in these lineup configurations.



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