Larry Brown, who recruited New York Knicks point guard Emmanuel Mudiay to SMU, pinpointed a key area of focus for the 22-year-old: Conditioning.
When the New York Knicks acquired Emmanuel Mudiay on the day of the 2018 NBA trade deadline, optimism mounted. Some questioned why the Knicks were trading for another point guard, but the cost of doing business for a former top-10 draft pick was easily justifiable.
As Mudiay prepares for his first offseason as a member of the Knicks, the head coach who recruited him to Southern Methodist University is offering a piece of advice.
Mudiay committed to SMU coming out of high school, but ultimately decided to go to China to play professionally. Nevertheless, the coach whom Mudiay was planning to learn under has taken a vested interest in the point guard’s career.
According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, former Mustangs—and Knicks—head coach Larry Brown believes that Mudiay must get in better shape if he’s going to thrive in the NBA.
"“I loved the kid. He’s been injured a lot during the course of his career and only played eight games in China. But I don’t think Emmanuel has ever been in the greatest shape of his life. That position you have to be an elite athlete and in unbelievable shape. I don’t know until he got to the NBA if he has ever been coached the way he needed to be coached.”"
Mudiay has all of the physical tools to be a force in the NBA, but as Brown alluded to, his conditioning has been a question mark early in his career.
Mudiay is destined to carry more weight than the average point guard considering he stands at 6’5″ with long arms and broad shoulders. His 200-pound frame can be overwhelming in both positive and negative ways, however, which makes lean muscle a critical trait.
It’s a goal that Mudiay can realistic achieve, especially with an organization that’s going to hold him accountable.
Frank Ntilikina and Trey Burke are both expected to build upon successful 2017-18 campaigns, meaning Mudiay will be challenged for playing time.
Mudiay finished the 2017-18 regular season with averages of 8.6 points, 3.2 assists, 2.4 rebounds, and 0.7 three-point field goals made in 19.4 minutes per game. He shot 40.1 percent in 42 games with the Denver Nuggets, but converted just 36.8 percent of his shots with New York.
Brown’s theory appears to be that getting into better physical shape and condition will be the key to Mudiay taking the next step towards realizing his potential.
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The question is: Will the New York Knicks see the best version of Emmanuel Mudiay moving forward? Or will he be lost in the point guard shuffle?