New York Knicks: 15 greatest floor generals of all-time

During a stint in New York that lasted roughly six seasons, Rory Sparrow was never considered one of the elite point guards of his time, but he did prove to be a solid floor general, which is what ultimately bought him playing time.

Standing at 6-foot-2, he was very fundamental in the way he handled the basketball. Draw a double-team? Find the open man and get him the rock. Three-on-two fast break opportunity developing? Draw one of the defenders in and dish it off to a trailing teammate. Such tactics seem rudimentary to most, but with Sparrow, it was about simplifying the game and making the right play.

Playing next to the likes of one of the game’s greatest scorers in Bernard King, it was important for Sparrow to understand his role within New York’s offense. It was mostly about getting the ball to his more flashier teammates, and he did just that by putting his teammates in spots where they could catch the basketball and go to work.

His per game assist numbers of 6.2 are pretty good when factoring in the fact he played only 28.7 minutes a night, splitting time between a starting role and coming off the bench.

Sparrow was never a big-name player who put up big-time numbers, but he was a reliable point guard with the ball in his hands. He was someone teammates knew would always manage to get them the basketball and would always make the right basketball play.

Sometimes, being that solid is all one needs to make kind of impact.