New York Knicks: Who stepped up in narrow loss to Pelicans?

Emmanuel Mudiay

Stat Line: 19 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, 8-for-12 shooting (2-for-3 on three-pointers)

The Emmanuel Mudiay experience has provided its ups and downs for the New York Knicks. He failed to impress in a 22-game stint in 2017-18, and after two-plus seasons with the Denver Nuggets, there was minimal optimism for the poor-shooting point guard.

2018-19 has not been a coming out party for Mudiay, as he’s still inconsistent. However, it’s an upgrade from last season, and Friday’s performance was one of his best in the blue and orange.

In 22 minutes, and in his second game as a starter, Mudiay had 19 points, six rebounds, two steals and two blocks on 8-for-12 shooting. Two shots even came from behind the arc.

Mudiay was red-hot at one point, dueling with Anthony Davis for points. Of course, the New Orleans star topped 40 points, but it was still exciting and a surprise to see unfold.

This also became Mudiay’s fourth double-digit point game in his last six outings. That’s with averages of 9.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 45.5 percent shooting and 36.4 percent on three-pointers.

The 22-year-old’s marks from the field are encouraging. Whether they sustain past this six-game stretch remains to be seen, and with reasonable skepticism, but he’ll have every opportunity to flesh this out.

Mudiay has the chance to run with New York’s wide-open job at point guard. No one claimed it in previous games, so there’s an opportunity for him to rise above previous doubt.