4. Emmanuel Mudiay
Emmanuel Mudiay started 14 of 22 games with the New York Knicks to close the 2017-18 season, but poor shooting caused his playing time to sink. Though, the front office praised the work he put in to potentially make 2018-19 his time to shine.
Mudiay may be in “elite” shape, but it didn’t result in the desired on-court results in five preseason games. With 2.0 points and 3.8 assists on 15 percent shooting, it sunk the fourth-year guard to the bottom of the point guard depth chart.
It’s miles away from acting as New York’s starter, something Mudiay seemed in play for on Sept. 30. When Oct. 1, the first preseason game arrived, it became a different story, with consistently poor shooting nights that narrowed his playing time.
In the first three games, the 22-year-old played 16, 15 and 22 minutes, the latter of which happened in his lone start. After that, it was 10 and eight minutes, respectively, in the final two games.
Maybe Mudiay’s decreased minutes were the result of experimental nights for the Knicks, but his playing time did little to warrant anything more than an end-of-the-bench role. He won’t be cut, but it’s difficult to figure out his role, due to the play of others ahead.