NY Knicks: What does Luca Vildoza’s 4-year deal mean for the future?
By Adam Kester
NY Knicks: Luca Vildoza can bring ball-handling, shot-making, and gritty defense
I went into some detail about Luca Vildoza’s game the other week, but I’ll highlight a few points here. Starting with his offense – the Argentine guard has a flashy game.
The 6’3 Vildoza has played point guard but it’s easy to envision him playing either guard spot in the NBA. He has a wide array of hesitation moves and crossovers, that just from watching some film, seem both quick enough and tight enough to be effective in the NBA. He doesn’t have the most explosive first step but he certainly knows how to create space for himself in other ways.
He’s grown as a shooter as well. He shot just under 38% from 3 in Euroleague for Baskonia and is a career 84% free throw shooter across all competitions. The shooting will definitely be a big asset for him as he tries to land a permanent spot on the team.
Vildoza is also a playmaker. He will naturally draw immediate comparisons to Argentine point guards Facundo Campazzo and Pablo Prigioni. Prigioni who once played for the NY Knicks and is now an assistant coach with the Timberwolves and Campazzo who has been playing heavy minutes for the Denver Nuggets this season.
Prigioni and Campazzo are traditional floor general point guards whose highlights are predominantly comprised of flashy high-level assists. Luca Vildoza seems to be more of a combo-guard than an old-school point guard. He’s an adept playmaker in the pick & roll and that’s where he seems to thrive the most – In the half-court offense. Seems like a nice fit for the Knicks.
The versatility of Vildoza as both a playmaker and scorer could see him play a few different roles off of the bench should he make the team. He’s been known as a tough perimeter defender, another quality that could grant him playing time under Tom Thibodeau. It seems like you need to be a jack-of-all-trades to some degree in today’s NBA, and Vildoza fits that bill.
We all know the NY Knicks are ahead of schedule. As fun and exciting as the present is, a good front office is always keeping tabs on the future. As Leon Rose and his team have molded their roster, it could mean the end of the road for some Knicks who were a part of the previous regime.