Mike Brown has not shied away from experimenting with different lineups since taking the reins of the New York Knicks. Now, he’s about to get another potentially incredible combination to explore: three-guard lineups featuring Jalen Brunson, Tyler Kolek, and…Deuce McBride.

This trio has yet to log a single second together. That comes as little surprise. Kolek only recently burst onto the scene, and the Knicks have generally been hesitant to play three smaller guards at once.  

Landry Shamet’s shoulder injury changed the calculus on the latter. New York does not have any game-ready reserve wings to consistently field—though, rookie Mohamed Diawara is starting to make a strong case. Brown has needed to investigate the three-guard space as a result, albeit in sparing doses. 

Still, the prospect of rolling out Brunson, McBride, and Kolek is different from playing JB-TK-Jordan Clarkson. And with Deuce seemingly on the verge of returning from his left ankle injury, we are about to find out why.

Adding McBride to the Kolek-Brunson minutes makes a ton of sense

The Knicks are already leaning into Kolek-Brunson reps with increasing frequency, largely because they have to know whether it can work. While the season-long results are iffy, the most recent returns are awe-inspiring. 

Brunson and Kolek have logged joint minutes in four of New York’s past seven games. Over this stretch, the Knicks have outscored opponents by 26 points in 36 minutes, posting what would be the league’s best offensive and defensive ratings.

Most of these stints have come without Clarkson. And with the exception of the NBA Cup Final win over the San Antonio Spurs, the trio has not seemed especially ready for extended run.

Replacing Clarkson with McBride changes everything. His scoring arsenal is more limited, but also more reliable—particularly from beyond the arc. He doesn’t need to have the ball on offense, either. Over 54 percent of McBride’s field-goal attempts come without taking a dribble, easily beating out Clarkson’s mark of 45 percent.

It will be way easier to sustain quality defense with Deuce alongside Kolek and Brunson as well. Both McBride and Kolek can guard at the point-of-attack. The same cannot be said for Clarkson. 

Playing next to McBride also allows Kolek to spend more time away from POA assignments, and on off-ball covers. That is a low-key huge deal, because Kolek is arguably the Knicks guard best at party-crashing passing lanes.

The Knicks should not shy away from this potential three-guard monster

There is virtually no scenario in which the Brunson-McBride-Kolek trio makes up 60 percent of the Knicks’ most-used lineup. Even if Josh Hart’s crunch-time spot isn’t locked down, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, and Mikal Bridges are late-game certainties. If New York deviates at all, it’ll insert McBride or Mitchell Robinson for Hart.

Still, jacking up the three-guard volume throughout the course of the game is in the team’s best interests. It not only decreases the amount of time the Knicks’ wings must play in the grand scheme, but perhaps more critically, it prevents Brown from having to severely cap the roles for any of his smalls.

McBride’s rotation spot is non-negotiable. He will get minutes upon return. That puts Kolek or Clarkson at risk of seeing their court time dip. The situation gets more complicated if and when Shamet returns.

This is, in no uncertain terms, a great problem to have. But turning the Brunson-McBride-Kolek tripling loose could take this enviable dilemma, and transform into a defining, dominant strength.