Emmanuel Mudiay made his New York Knicks debut on Sunday, Feb. 11. The 21-year-old stepped up with a solid performance against the Indiana Pacers.
The New York Knicks stunned the masses on the day of the 2018 NBA trade deadline. With less than an hour remaining until the deadline passed, the Knicks executed a surprising trade for former Denver Nuggets point guard Emmanuel Mudiay.
Mudiay made his highly-anticipated debut with the Knicks on Sunday, Feb. 11, and he turned in a memorable performance for the orange and blue.
Mudiay was selected three spots below Kristaps Porzingis at the 2015 NBA Draft. He played two-and-a-half seasons with the Nuggets, for whom he showed both flashes of brilliance and reasons for skepticism.
Thus, when New York traded for Mudiay on the day of the 2018 NBA trade deadline, most were torn on how to feel about the deal.
Mudiay entered his Knicks debut averaging 8.5 points, 2.9 assists, 2.2 rebounds, and 0.9 three-point field goals made in 17.9 minutes per game. He was doing so on a slash line of .401/.373/.808.
In his first game with the Knicks, Mudiay proved just how promising a player he truly is.
Mudiay finished the Knicks’ 121-113 loss to the Indiana Pacers with 14 points, 10 assists, and two rebounds in just 29 minutes of action. He was aggressive as a playmaker, yet he still managed to commit just two turnovers.
Mudiay shot just 5-of-14 from the field and 0-of-3 from beyond the arc, but he also converted at a perfect clip of 4-of-4 from the free throw line.
Beyond the numbers, Mudiay did an outstanding job of creating for teammates whom he’d never previously played for. He was aggressive on the drive, making passes from angles that New York’s other point guards simply hadn’t or couldn’t during the first 56 games.
In the process, Mudiay recorded his first double-double since Jan. 16, 2017—and recorded the second-most assists by a debuting Knicks player.
Emmanuel Mudiay finishes with 14 points and 10 assists in his New York debut.
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) February 12, 2018
His 10 assists are the second most ever recorded by a Knick in his first game as a Knickerbocker. https://t.co/6xagdao5g3
One game may not tell us all we need to know, but it was one of the most promising performances by a Knicks point guard in quite some time. New York desperately needed a player who could consistently create penetration, and Mudiay filled that role to perfection in his first game with the Knicks.
If Mudiay can continue to be aggressive in the way he drives past the first defender and hits the teammate whom the help defender left open, he can maintain this torrid pace.
The most intriguing note of all is that Mudiay played his minutes alongside Frank Ntilikina. With Mudiay in the role of a facilitator and Ntilikina playing as more of a 2, the Knicks scored at virtual will in both the half court and transition.
Elite execution may not be in the cards in the short-term, but if Mudiay buys in on defense and Ntilikina continues to improve on offense, the potential of this duo could be prolific.
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If his debut is a sign of things to come, then the New York Knicks found a diamond in the rough in Emmanuel Mudiay.