New York Knicks: Where does Ignas Brazdeikis stand so far?

Ignas Brazdeikis has taken a backseat in each New York Knicks preseason game. What could it mean for his role entering the regular season?

Rookie expectations may have soared after Mitchell Robinson‘s productive run as a second-round pick, but not all selections in the back-half of the NBA draft are equal. Ignas Brazdeikis, in the preseason, has shown that so far, with just seven minutes in two games for the New York Knicks.

Per Marc Berman of the New York Post, head coach David Fizdale knows the young forward is a “work in progress”:

"“He’s a second-round pick and 19 years old,’’ Knicks coach David Fizdale said. “He’s definitely a work in progress. But again, every minute he plays is important for him. The kid will find his way as he takes his lumps.’’"

The Knicks traded up for Brazdeikis in the 2019 NBA Draft, sending $1 million to the Sacramento Kings to make a deal work. So, of course, there will be a spotlight on him. However, second round picks can have a slower adaptation to the game.

Brazdeikis, unlike the 2018 rookies, enters a different Knicks situation. No longer is there a roster of fringe NBA players, but a group of paid veterans and intriguing young players to take roles. That hurts someone like the Michigan product, without the ability to stand out, and Fizdale needs more than 17 wins in his second NBA season to cool any potential hot-seat talk.

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Instead, Brazdeikis can take time in the G League, where opportunities are ample, to mature as a player. The Knicks did not take this route with any of their 2018-19 rookies, but this is not as much of a “developmental” year, and NBA teams placing rookies in their “minor-league” system is not unheard of:

• The San Antonio Spurs, from 2016-18, placed their first-round picks in the G League for an extended period: Dejounte Murray, Derrick White and Lonnie Walker IV. Murray and White became quality players in their first full NBA season, and Walker will put that to the test soon.
• The Phoenix Suns’ Elie Okobo, a 2018 second round pick, spent nine games in the G League, averaging 18.1 points and 7.4 assists.
• Thomas Bryant, a 2017 second round pick, played 37 games in the 2017-18 G League season, averaging 19.7 points and 7.3 rebounds. He broke out for 10.5 points and 6.3 rebounds in 20.8 minutes for the Washington Wizards in 2018-19.

Knicks fans may not want to see Brazdeikis in Westchester if the NBA team struggles, but he can learn against professional-caliber competition, rather than watching a roster of players suit up ahead of him; it can make this a redshirt-esque year, before taking a bigger spot with more NBA preparation.

Brazdeikis is someone for the New York Knicks to stay patient with. So far, Fizdale seems wary of that, and while everything can change, taking it slow with someone who may not be able to crack the rotation is not detrimental.