ALL SIGNS POINT TO MUDIAY
The formal part of Knicks practice was over Wednesday. Some players hoisted shots, some did interviews on camera. Off to the side, coach Jeff Hornacek huddled with Emmanuel Mudiay, who at the end of the talk put in additional running.
On Tuesday night, Mudiay worked often with the first unit, a task he repeated Wednesday. Blend all this with Hornacek indicating he is committed to change — “I think you probably can say that,” he said — and Mudiay is the likely starter at point guard when the Knicks resume play Thursday in Orlando.
If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it is probably Mudiay starting at point guard against the Magic. Hornacek declined to name his starters, but all indications say Mudiay gets first call over rookie Frank Ntilikina to replace Jarrett Jack on the first unit to initiate the final 23 games.
“Definitely means something to me,” Mudiay, the No. 7 pick in 2015 who was acquired at the trade deadline from the Nuggets in a three-team trade, said Wednesday in Tarrytown. “I’m not going to take it for granted. I came in as a lottery pick, so I was kind of handed the spot. The fact that I’m in that position again, it’s a blessing. … I just have to take full advantage.”
Sounds like he’s starting. With Denver this season, he came off the bench in all 42 games he played. That was after starting 66 games as a rookie and 41 of 55 games last season. He averaged 17.9 minutes with Denver this season, 23.0 in three games with the Knicks. So after practicing for just a second time with a team whose season has been stamped “lottery bound” amid an eightgame losing streak, Mudiay huddled with Hornacek.
“Just kind of go over things. Basically just ask him if he’s got a good feel for what our guys can do, ” said Hornacek, who stopped short of acknowledging Mudiay as the starter.
“We’ll see. We have a lot of point guards that we want to see get time. Whether he plays the one or the two, if he starts or comes off the bench, you know all the minutes will probably go up, so I’m excited to see how they do,” Hornacek said.
Ntilikina remains in the equation. For a second straight day, Hornacek claimed the starting point guard spot is not etched in stone. One game could mean Mudiay, another Ntilikina. Eventually, they could start together, but don’t look for that on the immediate horizon.
“Two big guards, tall guards. Defensively, I think he’s great. Offensively, I think he’s getting more confidence. And I’m just going to try to feed as much confidence in him as I can. He’s 19,” the grizzled 21-year-old Mudiay said of Ntilikina. “The fact that he’s going to play a lot more, he’s going to get to grow faster. Make a couple mistakes and then take his ups and downs, but mostly ups I feel like. And he’s a great talent.”
One who has struggled and seen shifts in his role. All part of the growing process, Hornacek said.
“I think he hit a little bit of a wall. The energy, and his [sore] knee,” Hornacek said. “He just looked exhausted at some times. … Can he play the 30 minutes without his knees hurting? Part of that is growth. He’s young. “These last two practices … he’s looked really good and he’s not complaining about any knee issues.”
So Hornacek eventually envisions that tagteam approach for his starting point position — when they’re not together.
“It’s giving guys some opportunities,” Hornacek said of employing different starting units. “We still have guys that maybe some nights they’re playing really well and a guy might only get 15 minutes. Then you say, ‘OK, let’s mix it up.’
“When you come off the bench, to play 30 minutes you’re almost playing straight through. So that will just be looking at who is getting what minutes and if we can balance that out and give them all good [opportunities].”