With all the depth the New York Knicks have at the point guard position, it will be worthwhile to have an idea of what Emmanuel Mudiay’s future may possess, whether as a trade asset and an important part to the rotation.
For the 2018-19 NBA season, the New York Knicks will have plenty of options to implement in the backcourt. It is likely that we will see the likes of Frank Ntilikina and Emmanuel Mudiay sharing time at the two as David Fizdale figures out what each player has to offer, as well as further their development.
As of now, it seems that Ntilikina will be given some patience with the Knicks’ coaching staff after playing his first season with the world’s best league, in comparison to playing overseas. As for Mudiay, his time and experience in the NBA have only left questions of whether he can withstand the workload and make an impact.
After spending his first few years in the league with the Denver Nuggets as their 2015 first-round selection, Mudiay could not seem to make the transition from playing in China to the NBA. His turnover flaws and poor shooting mechanics transitioned have been a recurrent issue, and it has yet to be seen whether he can live up to his defensive potential, in which he was prized for.
Being 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-9 wingspan, the Knicks’ guard has the right tools to become a reliable defender, and it seems that the Knicks have not given up on his development, according to Ian Pierno of Slam Online.
"“Fizdale went out of his way to tell Mudiay, ‘We’re going to get to work kid, we’re going to get to work. We’re going to get you right and you’re going to be tough to defend and you’re going to be a heck of a defender. We’re going to pick that up.’”"
With Mudiay remaining on the roster and Fizdale’s encouraging words, it seems that he will be given opportunities this offseason and upcoming season to show why he belongs on the Knicks. Though those opportunities may be few as the Knicks have a logjam in the backcourt.
If the young guard can show improvement with his shot, conditioning, and defense, then expect him to make his case as a starting NBA guard.
But all we can hope for is that he is putting time this offseason to make this even more a point guard competition. At 24 years old, there is still hope for Mudiay, but he will need to show more than just flashes of his potential.
Hopefully Fizdale can help utilize this young core of guards to help Mudiay realize his peak. With that said, expect Fizdale to get creative with our guard’s roles. Whether Mudiay seizes his opportunity to work with a well-endorsed head coach, we should see a close split between both playing time at both guard positions.