Emmanuel Mudiay
Stat Line: 27 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, 4 steals, 10-for-20 shooting, 1-for-6 on three-pointers
Emmanuel Mudiay was an afterthought entering the 2018-19 season. Off a subpar half-season run with the New York Knicks, he seemed at the back of the point guard depth chart. An early-season injury didn’t help his case.
Well, after 12 games, Mudiay has redesigned his perception, and mostly via his jumpshot.
The fourth-year guard never received praise for his shooting with the Denver Nuggets, and rightfully so, at 37.5 percent over two-plus seasons. However, entering Friday’s game, he had a 50 percent clip from the field, which will remain even after a 10-for-20 night.
The 27 points were Mudiay’s best this season and as a Knick. He didn’t rack up assists, but still impacted the boards with seven rebounds and snagged four steals.
15 of those points came in the fourth quarter, when Mudiay had the arena on its feet with each move he made to the hoop. It was needed without much from Hardaway and a general lack of dynamic scorers.
After the game, Fizdale wouldn’t commit to Mudiay as the full-time starter after the game, but performances like this only potentially push it in that direction. Especially with Frank Ntilikina in an off-ball role and Trey Burke‘s bench success.
With four double-digit point efforts in his last five games, Mudiay has turned a few heads. Will this revitalized play continue as the season stretches?