New York Knicks: Nick Van Exel could prove a crucial hire
The New York Knicks will reportedly hire Nick Van Exel as an assistant coach. Van Exel could prove to be one of the most critical hires of the 2018 offseason.
The New York Knicks have hired and introduced David Fizdale as the 29th head coach in franchise history. In the days that have followed, reports have surfaced about whom Fizdale plans to bring aboard as his assistant coaches.
One of the most intriguing names to emerge as a potential hire is former All-Star and experienced assistant coach Nick Van Exel.
Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News recently reported that Van Exel is expected to join Fizdale’s staff in New York. It follows Van Exel’s tenure as an assistant coach for Fizdale with the Memphis Grizzlies.
While those who watched Van Exel likely enjoyed doing so, not as many are familiar with what he brings to the table as a coach.
Van Exel has five years of experience as an assistant coach at the NBA level. He’s also coached in the G League and NCAA, and could prove to be one of the most important acquisitions that the Knicks make in 2018.
According to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, Fizdale had the following to say about Van Exel in an article that was published in April of 2018.
"“He is a basketball genius who sees the game two or three steps ahead. The way he views the game overall, he does a great job of stepping back and looking at the big picture. He is one of the best I’ve ever seen at developing a point guard and making him understand the responsibility.”"
In other words: Van Exel is the perfect coach for a Knicks team that needs to develop and identify a point guard of the future.
New York currently has three top-10 draft picks at point guard: Trey Burke, Emmanuel Mudiay, and Frank Ntilikina. They all approach the game in different ways, but the consistent theme is that they’ve showed flashes of star-caliber brilliance.
Burke is the fundamentally sound playmaker and scorer, Mudiay is the explosive athlete, and Ntilikina is the two-way prospect with lockdown ability.
With Van Exel as the coach who’s tasked with leading their development, the Knicks could enable all three players to maximize their potential.
As a player, Van Exel was an electrifying playmaker who offered a bit of everything on the offensive end of the floor. He was an excellent passer who could push the pace, operate via the pick and roll, and make entry passes to his bigs in the low or high post areas.
The latter trait may sound basic, but it’s an ability that many in the modern NBA struggle with—and one the Knicks must be able to execute.
With Kristaps Porzingis as the franchise player and go-to scoring option, the Knicks need playmakers who can get him the ball. That’s easier said than done, as teams will make it a point to cut off passing lanes in a postseason setting.
A coach of Van Exel’s caliber can help teach the Knicks’ point guards how to overcome that issue and thus simplify the game for Porzingis.
For Mudiay, having a coach who can help him get into the open court and utilize his athleticism as a strength will be invaluable. The natural talent is undeniable, but a lack of body control and an overzealousness as a playmaker have cost him dearly.
Mudiay will also need to develop a reliable jump shot, but struggling to finish with efficiency at the rim and turning the ball over at a high rate take precedence.
Fizdale and Van Exel will make it a point to help Mudiay develop a more fundamental rhythm to finishing around the rim. They’ll also discourage jump passes and help Mudiay identify how and when to play the angles.
The court vision and basketball IQ are present, but in the heat of the moment, Mudiay needs guidance—and Van Exel can provide it.
For Burke, having a coach who understands the balance of scoring and distributing will enable him to find the middle ground himself. He did an excellent job of finding it in 2017-18, but all things considered, it was an outlier of a season.
Van Exel has experience playing multiple roles in the NBA as a player, due in large part to how he evolved as his career progressed.
In specific, Burke will benefit from working with Van Exel due to the latter’s knowledge of how to operate the pick and roll. That will become a fundamental play for Burke, who’s at his best in transition, but has the tools to be an elite high screen scorer and facilitator.
With a crisp midrange game and three-point range that Van Exel can help Burke perfect, 2018-19 could be another career-year for the former Michigan star.
Mudiay and Burke are intriguing, but it’s Ntilikina who holds the keys to the Knicks’ future. Ntilikina has the tools for greatness at 6’5″ with a 7’0″ wingspan, a tight handle, and solid mechanics as a shooter, finisher, and passer—but he’s too reluctant to make a play.
Thankfully, he’ll be playing for coaches in Fizdale and Van Exel who will encourage him to be more selfish—often counterproductive, but what will help him find his identity in this instance.
Ntilikina has received the combo guard label, but it’s one that Van Exel himself is familiar with. As a player, he was as much of an explosive scorer as he was a dynamic distributor—a combination that Ntilikina can achieve in 2018-19 and beyond.
With Van Exel working with the 19-year-old to help eliminate his hesitation and find the confidence to take chances, All-Star potential could be realized.
Even if it isn’t, a less reluctant approach will be taken.
Must Read: Five reasons to love the David Fizdale hiring
Regardless of which player emerges as the full-time starter—or, in David Fizdale’s positionless vision, starters—Nick Van Exel will be a crucial hire for the New York Knicks.