Tom Thibodeau plugs Cam Reddish, Isaiah Hartenstein into Knicks' starting lineup

When the Knicks have struggled to find minutes for all of the players in the rotation, Tom Thibodeau has said it will work itself out. And on Saturday, it did. One day after being inserted in the starting lineup, Quentin Grimes was out of action again, and Mitchell Robinson, who suffered a sprained right knee Friday, was ruled out and will be reevaluated in seven to 10 days.

So Thibodeau was left to tinker with the lineup again, plugging Cam Reddish into the starting spot that was occupied by Evan Fournier until Friday, now in place of Grimes. Isaiah Hartenstein was plugged in as the starting center and Thibodeau hinted that he could be open to playing the small-ball lineup he debuted Friday with Julius Randle and Obi Toppin playing together on the front line.

The surprise, at least a slight surprise, this time was bypassing Fournier, who was the starter since arriving before last season and set a Knicks record for three-point field goals made. Fournier started the first seven games, but with the starters struggling at times, particularly on the defensive end, Thibodeau pulled the trigger on an early-season lineup change.

By inserting Reddish, who was the 11th man in the game Friday, Thibodeau can keep Fournier in place rather than shuffling him game to game if Grimes is not a long-term absence. There is little assurance of that, though, with Grimes missing three preseason games and the first six games of the regular season with what the team called a sore left foot.

“It’s back-to-back [games],” Thibodeau said. “And he has a little soreness. So we’ll see how he is tomorrow. We’re taking it day by day. He’s just getting back into it. We’ll see where he is tomorrow.”

Reddish has provided an offensive boost in his minutes this season, a chance he might not have gotten if Grimes had been healthy. On Friday, he was a force defensively, credited with one steal and one blocked shot. He also deflected several passes.

“I like the way he works,” Thibodeau said. “I think he’s getting more comfortable. I love his length, versatility. What he gives us defensively. He runs the floor really well. He can get into the paint, can make plays, he’s a gifted scorer. So he’s coming along and he’s fitting in well.

“His length, he’s a hard guy to pass over. He’s got really good feet. When you have [him] and RJ [Barrett] and Obi, they’re athletic and they’re long. It allows you to do a little more switching. You throw Julius in there with that group, very productive.”

The Knicks went with the Randle-Toppin pairing for the first time this season Friday because Philadelphia was without Joel Embiid and was playing 6-7 Montrezl Harrell or 6-9 Paul Reed at center. The Celtics played without Robert Williams and Al Horford on Saturday, and the Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert has been placed in health and safety protocols ahead of Monday’s game against the Knicks.

The pairing has provided some problems for the Knicks in previous attempts, not giving the team the rim protection that Thibodeau desires and struggling to rebound well. But trailing by 12 with 10:36 left Friday, Thibodeau put them on the floor, and the result was a much-needed win.

Asked what he liked about it, Thibodeau said, “I think everything, the speed of the game, the variance changes when you play small like that, and then the big concern is the defense and rebounding. But I thought they did a good job with that, so it was good, very good.”

Notes & quotes: Fans at Friday’s game spotted a heated argument between Obi Toppin and assistant coach Rick Brunson during the game. The team confirmed it, noting that it was talked out after the game. Brunson worked with Toppin before the Knicks drafted him. “Just normal NBA stuff, heat of the battle,” Thibodeau said.

By Steve Popper

steve.popper@newsday.com@StevePopper

Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.