New York Knicks: Starting Five Becoming Clear
By TJ Jann
The New York Knicks had a lot of questions heading into the upcoming season, particularly who would round out the starting rotation with Carmelo Anthony and Jose Calderon. four games into the preseason, the Knicks have seemed to answer these questions very quickly.
Not surprisingly, the Knicks have inserted Samuel Dalembert into the starting center role to replace the void left by Tyson Chandler. Opting more for defense than offense, Dalembert has impressed thus far protecting the rim and rebounding the basketball. The center is averaging 2.5 blocks in just 20 minutes per game in the first four games of the preseason. Dalembert’s ability to alter shots that he doesn’t block has allowed the Knicks to look like a more competent defensive team.
What is surprising about Samuel Dalembert’s game is that he has actually been a productive offensive player. He won’t light up the score board with 20 points, but he his passing ability from the high-post has lead to Knick players getting open layups around the hoop. If he can knock down a jump shot every once in a while, Dalembert will see extended crunch time minutes.
The biggest story of the preseason has been the emergence of first-year Knick, Quincy Acy. A true underdog story, Acy has gone from a guy who rarely played in Toronto and Sacramento, to starting at power forward in New York. After Andrea Bargnani started the first game at power forward, Acy has stepped in nicely after Bargnani was forced to the sideline with a supposed groin injury (sidenote: Bargs has been in uniform for all the games, so I doubt his injury is that significant). Showing that hard work truly pays off, Acy has been a great energy guy for the Knicks in the power forward position. While Acy is only averaging just over 5 rebounds per game, the rebounds that he is coming up with are the ones that the Knicks never seemed to get last year. He’s making the extra effort and hustle play that most Knicks would just stand and watch.
An energetic forward is something the Knicks have been severely lacking the past couple of years. Acy brings very good on ball defense, and even is quick enough to help and recover defensively. The only aspect of Acy’s game that is of concern is his offense. While the Knicks certainly don’t need the bearded Baylor product to be an offensive juggernaut, it would be nice to have a player who could stretch the floor and hit the mid-range jump shot.
Sliding in at shooting guard is a familiar face in Iman Shumpert. The starter last year, Shumpert missed the first game with a sore hamstring, but he reclaimed the role the past three games. The good news about Shumpert is that he is still an excellent perimeter defender and has limited the effectiveness of opposing guard thus far this preseason.
While we knew what we were getting with Shumpert defensively, it remained a mystery this offseason what we would get out of the Georgia Tech product on the offensive end. As everyone hoped, Shumpert has enjoyed much more success already in the triangle offense than he did all last year in Mike Woodson‘s iso-offense. In his three games, Shumpert has contributed in multiple aspects of the offense with 8 points per game to go along with 4 assists per game. The better news for Shumpert fans is that he is making great cuts to the basket and not settling for one-on-one shots. This has allowed the defensive guard to get easier shots around the basket, or knock down an open three in the corner.
The past few games the Knicks have gotten off to slow starts offensively, partially due to the fact that they have gone with a more defensive minded starting five. With the current starting five of Calderon, Shumpert, Anthony, Acy, and Dalembert, the Knicks only have one true scorer in Melo. While Calderon is a fantastic shooter, he is much more willing to hit the open man than hoist up another jumper. This leaves the Knicks relying on their three defensive players to contribute significantly offensively. If the Knicks find they need to adjust their starting five for offensive purposes, they may be better suited to start Jason Smith at the four, or J.R. Smith at the two (not Tim Hardaway Jr., he would create a nightmare of a backcourt defensively).
The two Smiths bring the ability to contribute significantly on both sides of the court. Shumpert and Acy are certainly wild cards offensively, so unless one of them can step up (more likely it will be Shumpert), the Knicks may need to infuse more offense into their starting five. Derek Fisher still has plenty of time to evaluate the team, but as we get closer towards the season, it appears he has already made up his mind on his preferred starting five.