With head coach David Fizdale’s announcement that all starting spots on the New York Knicks are open, who will compete at point guard?
On the first day of training camp, New York Knicks head coach David Fizdale announced, all starting lineup spots are open. It did not matter who the player was or how much money they will make—it’s an open competition for the 2018-19 season.
Among the battles, the point guard position should see three players work for the main minutes. The situation can change throughout the season, but making an immediate impression puts any of them in a positive direction.
Which players have an opportunity to start at point guard? Who stands out as the likely winner of Fizdale’s proclamation?
Emmanuel Mudiay
Emmanuel Mudiay faced a difficult three seasons to try to reach the expectations of a No. 7 pick. With shooting struggles and a fall out of the starting lineup with the Denver Nuggets, it led to his departure via trade in February.
A fresh start brought similar results for Mudiay, however, with a 36.8 shooting percentage that placed in line with the 37.5 percent he shot in Denver. Along with a 19.6 percent mark from three-point range, it dampened his 22-game run with the New York Knicks.
The arrival of Fizdale lets Mudiay hit the restart button again, due to the open competition. While maybe not the favorite to start at point guard, he can impress with any offseason development to his game and make the case to take on significant minutes.
Frank Ntilikina
There’s some question to if Frank Ntilikina is even a point guard anymore. With a growth in height and still-needed improvement in ball handling, he might fit better as a combo guard or a small forward in certain lineups.
If Fizdale wants to let Ntilikina’s development play out, especially to maximize the Frenchman’s defensive potential and see which position he fits best—or maybe not with positionless basketball—then a starter’s spot could go to one of the veterans.
Patience with Ntilikina can lead to him on the bench to start the year. Though, with the necessary improvement the coaching staff wants, there’s a chance to rise before the season ends.
Trey Burke
Trey Burke offers the most experience of the bunch, with five years to Mudiay and Ntilikina’s combined four. It’s a make-or-break year for his career, however, after four down seasons with the Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards and one interesting run with the Knicks.
Burke’s 12.8 points and 4.7 assists in just 21.8 minutes per game turned into his best numbers per minute of his NBA timespan, and it offered intrigue for what he could do with a full season, even under a new head coach.
At 6-foot-1, Burke does not fit the positionless basketball profile, and like the others, his slate is clean—arguably not a great circumstance. Will he do enough to secure an opening night slot in the starting lineup?