New York Knicks: 5 goals for Tim Hardaway Jr. in 2017-18
By Randy Porga
5. Proving he should be the starter
The New York Knicks may have added Hardaway as a signal they are moving in a more youthful direction, which may be unsettling for Courtney Lee. They have found themselves in a couple of strange situations regarding depth, given the selection of players at the time by Phil Jackson.
Starting with a clean slate is difficult when there are a number of large contracts held by veteran players, including Lee.
On paper, Hardaway is the better option for starter’s minutes. Hardaway scored 19.1 points per 36 minutes to Lee’s 12.2 points per 36 minutes. Another takeaway is that they are in a deadlock with efficiency. Last season Hardaway shot for a career best 45.5 percent from the field, while Lee shot for 45.6 percent.
Across the board they are very similar shooting guards, but the biggest difference boils down to age and experience. Tim Hardaway Jr. has only started 62 games in his four years in the NBA while Lee has started 434 games.
It will be unclear until the opening game who will be playing what role, but it is likely that Hardaway will have to earn his time through the rotation before being looked upon as a part of the starting five.