New York Knicks’ G-League Guide: Ignas Brazdeikis finds his role
The New York Knicks’ G-League squad recently played their first game, and Ignas Brazdeikis finally received his first steady dose of playing time.
Ignas Brazdeikis‘ 30-point game for the New York Knicks’ summer league team teased yet another second-round success, following in the footsteps of Mitchell Robinson. All seemed well, until the Knicks filled their roster with veteran free agents, limiting an imminent role once the regular season began.
It is hardly unusual for second-round picks to not receive a full role off the bat. They are not all like Robinson, who shined from the start on a worst-record-in-the-NBA Knicks team. Some of them land in the G League for extra playing time, and that has happened with the Michigan product.
On Monday, Brazdeikis began what will likely be a continuous, back-and-forth trip from the Knicks to Westchester, except his first game happened at Madison Square Garden against the Lakeland Magic. He played 29 minutes, finishing with 15 points, two rebounds, two assists, three steals and five turnovers on 6-for-13 shooting and 3-for-5 on three-pointers.
Brazdeikis did not play in Wednesday’s game, but due to the main-roster Knicks traveling to Chicago, where he played two minutes in garbage time.
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Look for more Westchester reps for the 20-year-old guard/forward, who will probably not crack the Knicks’ rotation anytime soon, barring a trade or several injuries, even with a 2-9 record, which has shown no sign of improvement. The steady playing time is positive, though, rather than just watching and doing light practices for the next five months.
More G-League notes
Dennis Smith Jr. returned to the court from missed time, at 0-3 from the field, two rebounds, two steals and a -22. He spent two weeks from the New York Knicks, understandably not staying in basketball shape in that time. That opened speculation of the third-year point guard playing in the G League, which coach David Fizdale apparently considered. However, per Greg Joyce of the New York Post, he opted against it:
"“We thought about it, but we just felt like it wasn’t an injury that took him out,” Fizdale said Wednesday. “It was more from a conditioning standpoint. So what we’re gonna do is we’re gonna play him, try to play him in smaller doses to get him back in shape. Obviously he’s doing a lot of court work, three-on-three, two-on-two. Today he had a full practice, which was great. “I don’t see us sending him down. No, he’s back with us now.”"
That means Smith will play through his on-court struggles on the main stage, inserting himself into a point guard discussion that includes Frank Ntilikina starting and an injured Elfrid Payton. As long as one misses time, playing opportunities will remain for Smith. Once everyone is healthy, however, that’s when Fizdale’s decision making goes under the microscope, again.
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Outside of the NBA links, Andrew White III has played stellar basketball, averaging 29 points in his first two games on 65.6 percent shooting. He had 39 points in Wednesday’s win.