New York Knicks: Behind Emmanuel Mudiay, point guard struggles return

The New York Knicks have their point guard, but the players behind him returned to their struggles.

Point guard was always a question mark for the New York Knicks entering 2018-19, and Emmanuel Mudiay at least answered the biggest question of them all, “Who will start?” That’s fine, but the concerns still extend to the rest of this position.

The Knicks entered the season with Trey Burke and Frank Ntilikina as the apparent top options at point guard. Both received time as the starter, and both lost their job for poor individual or team play after five and nine games, respectively.

Burke and Ntilikina eventually dropped their spots in the rotation for a trio of games each. The Knicks had a crowded group to utilize, and whether due to fit or overall production, they were on the outside looking in.

Head coach David Fizdale did not exile either player forever, but their absence was Mudiay’s gain, who has taken control of point guard and will not abandon that hold, barring a collapse. Still, Burke and Ntilikina answered positively with these stretches:

Trey Burke (four games)

• 25.8 points
• 3.3 rebounds
• 4.3 assists
• 1.3 steals
• 58.8 percent shooting
• 45.0 percent on three-pointers

Frank Ntilikina (three games)

• 13.7 points
• 1.3 rebounds
• 2.7 assists
• 53.3 percent shooting
• 58.3 percent on three-pointers

Hitting the bench seemed to revitalize these players, much like it did for Damyean Dotson. Maybe this was the necessary spark for their on-court confidence, but that became a short-term fix with the numbers that followed up those respective stretches:

Burke (six games; this does not count the game he suffered a knee injury)

• 7.0 points
• 2.2 rebounds
• 1.6 assists
• 18.8 percent shooting
• 33.3 percent on three-pointers

Ntilikina (five games)

• 3.6 points
• 2.2 rebounds
• 2.4 assists
• 21.4 percent shooting
• 18.2 percent on three-pointers

Granted, two of Burke’s games factor in his return from a sprained knee, but rusty play led to his benching in Wednesday’s loss to the Philadelphia 76ers and Friday against the Atlanta Hawks.

The Knicks have three days off between this game and Christmas Day, which allows Burke more time to rest, but game reps also help shake off the time he missed.

Per Marc Berman of the The New York Post, Fizdale attributed Ntilikina’s recent struggles to another loss of confidence. The 44-year-old coach said he notices it from being around the Frenchman long enough:

"“You can see it. When you’re around him long enough, you can tell when he’s like, ‘Screw it. I’m just letting it all hang out and I’m just going to play.’ And you can see when he’s thinking about, ‘If I miss this or if I screw this up, what’s going to happen?’”"

It’s an ebb and flow situation with Ntilikina. He’s still just 20-years-old, and wavering confidence is nothing new for a young player. How long will Fizdale’s leash be though, if these offensive struggles continue in this downturn for the Knicks?

On a 9-25 team, it’s no surprise that this New York Knicks team has flaws. One of them was sorted out, but as the organization evaluates which players fit for 2019-20 and beyond, Burke and Ntilikina must show consistency to maintain positioning in not just the team’s future, but their NBA standing.