New York Knicks: 5 goals for the 2018 offseason
4. Point guard logjam
As all New York draft picks are, the Knicks’ selection of Frank Ntilikina in the 2017 NBA Draft was met with its fair share of criticism. The critique, warranted or not, had more to do with who the Knicks didn’t draft in Dennis Smith Jr, who many believed to have a higher ceiling than that of his fellow draftee.
Alas, Knicks fans had no choice but to believe in Frank, and early on the young guard showed some promise, most notably on the defensive side, giving hope that he could one day become one of the elite two-way guards in the NBA.
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Then, in the span of nearly two months, general manager Scott Perry decided to bring on not one but two ball-dominant point guards in Emmanuel Mudiay and Trey Burke, signaling a possible lack of faith in his rookie point guard.
While Trey Burke has clearly proven his worth in the form of 12.6 points and 4.6 assists per game, Mudiay has done no such thing. The fourth-year guard posted a plus/minus of -4.3 over 22 games in New York, a big enough sample size to suggest an issue with the 22-year-old’s game and its fit within the Knicks roster.
Having three point guards with overlapping skill-sets and needs makes for a very difficult rotation, and it would serve the Knicks well if they can figure out a situation that benefits all parties involved, even if it means splitting ways with one or two of the guards.
Ideally, Mudiay’s minutes would get cut while Burke would become the team’s sixth man, giving the team a much-needed scoring punch off the bench while allowing Ntilikina to progress as the team’s starting point guard.
If the Knicks want to justify the selection of Ntilikina, they have to give him opportunities to develop, and that becomes very difficult when he’s forced to share both minutes and touches with two other guards.