Knicks Rumors: Allonzo Trier Under Consideration to Start with RJ Barrett

The New York Knicks may be forced to shuffle their starting lineup for Wednesday night's season opener against the San Antonio Spurs, and Allonzo Trier could be a part of the changes.

According to Ian Begley of SNY, the Knicks may be without starting center Mitchell Robinson due to an ankle injury. That could mean Julius Randle will slide over to the starting center position alongside Marcus Morris and RJ Barrett, both of whom are expected to be in the starting lineup. Bobby Portis and Taj Gibson are also possibilities at center.

Trier could also get the start. Per that report, "Trier is under consideration for a spot in the Knicks' starting five, per SNY sources. Members of the organization liked how Barrett and Trier looked together during preseason and training camp, per league sources."

It's unclear if Trier would start at point guard in that scenario, or if the Knicks would slide up Barrett to the 3 and start Trier at shooting guard. The Knicks have no shortage of options at point guard between Dennis Smith Jr., Elfrid Payton and Frank Ntilikina. 

Head coach David Fizdale has spoken highly of Trier this preseason:

"He brings an element that probably no one else brings on the team from a standpoint of, he can really break you down off the dribble and he's a good shooter from three. I've been really happy with the way he's gone about it, when he was playing and when he wasn't playing. He's been a good teammate to guys, and when he got his opportunity, he really played well."

He also added that Trier is trying to break the perception of being an isolation-heavy player and has been trying to fit into the offense more fluidly:

"This year he hasn't done it. I think he's two possessions where he had maybe taken multiple dribbles in a possession. He doesn't want the nickname [Iso Zo] and he wants to change that perception of him as a guy that holds," Fizdale said. "He wants to be just Allonzo Trier. He's been going about it the right way and he's been showing that in practice."

Trier, 23, had a solid rookie season for the Knicks after being an undrafted free agent, averaging 10.9 points and 1.9 assists in 22.8 minutes per game (64 total contests), shooting 44.8 percent from the field and 39.4 percent from three.

That shooting would make him a solid option at the 2 if the Knicks choose to go that route in the season opener. Of course, another option would be starting Morris at the 4, Kevin Knox at the 3 and Barrett at the 2. And if Trier gets the starting point-guard gig over Smith, it would be a pretty big statement about Fizdale's belief—or lack thereof—in the third-year point guard.

Ditto for Knox potentially coming off the bench this year. We'll learn a lot about the team's young prospects this year, with veterans in place to push them and potentially steal their minutes. How they react will be pretty telling, especially as the Knicks try to determine if players like Smith, Knox, Barrett and Robinson can lead them into the future.