1. Emmanuel Mudiay
Head coach David Fizdale gave Emmanuel Mudiay the chance to start Friday’s preseason game, but he failed to make the most of an opportunity, with just two points on 1-for-7 shooting in 22 minutes. That brought the former lottery pick’s preseason numbers to 2.7 points and 4.0 assists on 16.7 percent shooting.
Track record goes against Mudiay, as well, after a lackluster showing in 22 games for the Knicks to close 2017-18. That’s while Burke outperformed him and earned a return to the team for training camp and the preseason.
Luckily for Mudiay, Burke and Frank Ntilikina—the players he’s in competition with at point guard—have not looked effective, either. So maybe that saves him and the $4.29 million salary, continuing the competition in-season.
It would not be a surprise to see Mudiay receive another chance, even without it warranted from his on-court production. If so, there’s potentially a pending battle to avoid the end of the bench, due to rookie emergences this preseason.
Burke or Ntilikina may outperform their preseason stat lines, too, especially from the field, where both have struggled. Someone must emerge, otherwise the Knicks can find a point guard answer elsewhere within the 2018-19 campaign.