Recent New York Knicks rumors involve the point guard position, as an open competition is expected to be held between Elfrid Payton, Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina.
With training camp just about to get under way, New York Knicks rumors are going to start picking up. While the offseason didn’t go as planned, the roster is still improved as there is depth across the board.
When you have depth at every position, it creates competition for minutes. New York signed a number of veterans that are essentially on one-year deals, so competition will be fierce to see who receives those minutes.
Given where they are at in their rebuild, it would make sense for the youngsters to still receive minutes this season. The team needs to figure out who is worth being part of the young core and who they should move on from.
There will be a number of training camp battles to keep an eye on. The only position that seems locked in is that big free agent acquisition Julius Randle will be the starting power forward. Mitchell Robinson and RJ Barrett should join him in the starting five, but everything else is up in the air.
The position battle that should draw the most attention is the one at the point guard spot. Right now, according to Steve Popper of Newsday, the competition is wide open for the starting point guard position.
That means Elfrid Payton, Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina are all coming in with a clean slate and an opportunity to prove themselves.
Fizdale said wide-open competition between Dennis Smith Jr, Elfrid Payton and Frank Ntilikina - although front office not committed yet to whether they will pick up Ntilikina's 4th year option (Oct. 31 deadline)
— Steve Popper (@StevePopper) September 30, 2019
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There are a number of things to take away from this tweet. For starters, the fact that Ntilikina is even being considered as a point guard after last season is surprising.
Last season, coach David Fizdale seemed intent on turning Ntilikina into a wing player. He even received minutes at the small forward spot as the team hoped he would become a 3-and-D wing player. The result last season were disastrous.
It is encouraging to see that Fizdale will be giving him a chance at the starting point guard spot. Ntilikina played very well for France during the FIBA World Cup in September and opened some people’s eyes.
He played confidently on both ends of the court, playing excellent defense and even knocking down some jumpers. He was a big reason for France knocking off Team USA, as he locked up Kemba Walker and Donovan Mitchell throughout the game.
Smith is someone the organization needs to push to see what he can do. He was the centerpiece in the return package that sent Kristaps Porzingis to the Dallas Mavericks. Scott Perry and Steve Mills had hoped to parlay that cap space created into max players in free agency, but that didn’t happen.
As a result, Smith has some pressure to perform this season. Imagine how crazy people will go if Porzingis continues to flourish in Dallas and helps lead them to the playoffs while Smith is coming off the bench and struggling in New York? Not a good look.
Smith is immensely gifted athletically, but he needs to round out the rest of his game. He didn’t shoot the ball well in his short stint with the Knicks last season and needs to continue improving his point guard skills. The talent is there, but can Fizdale and his staff develop it?
Last but not least, we have Payton, another free agent signing. You know what you are going to get from him, as he does a little bit of everything. He is probably the best playmaker of the three and showed what he could do last season with the New Orleans Pelicans when given consistent minutes.
With injuries and the Anthony Davis saga ravaging the roster, Payton was pressed into an expanded role the final 23 games of the season after the All-Star break and produced some monster games. He had a five straight triple-doubles at one point and averaged 11.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game.
Fizdale is going to feel some pressure to win games in his second season in the Big Apple to show that there is progress being made. As a result, it would not be shocking to see Payton or Smith win the job. If the Knicks are truly committed to seeing what Ntilikina can do, he should receive ample opportunity at point guard.
However, if last season was a sign of things, that may not happen too much.
What could set the three apart during training camp is if one person shows that they can stretch the floor consistently. None of the three have shown an ability to consistently knock down 3-pointers during their NBA career. If someone comes into camp and catches fire, they could gain the upper hand.