Lee likely to make debut versus Bucks
Courtney Lee could make his Knicks season debut Saturday afternoon against the Bucks. Coach David Fizdale said the veteran guard will be “probable” after missing the first 23 games with a nagging neck injury. He returned to practice last Saturday and has been working out the kinks.
“One thing I know is we definitely don’t have veterans, so having a veteran in the mix now, especially since we haven’t had Lance [Thomas], we just really miss that presence,” Fizdale said Friday after practice. “So I’ve just got to figure out how I’m going to work him into the rotation.”
The 33-year-old Lee, who has averaged 12 points a game and shot 40.6 percent from 3-point range last year, will be eased in initially. His perimeter shooting and defense should be helpful assets for such a young team.
“I don’t think he’s a tough guy to mix in. You know who Courtney Lee is,” Fizdale said. “The tough part was these guys I hadn’t seen play basketball before, or at least play enough together [to see] how they fit.
“So I think Courtney Lee just by competing against him and watching him a lot over the years and really understanding who he is and what his game is, I think he’s a good piece to plug in with whoever’s out there.”
Fizdale is keeping the same starting five for Saturday’s game at the Garden, but he kept his plans for defending Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo close to the vest. The Knicks will throw plenty of defenders at the 6-foot-11 superstar from Greece.
“I might have some secrets for old Budenholzer over there,” Fizdale said with a smile, referring to Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer. “Everybody will have to get a shot on him. They play so fast, they’ve got such great spacing and you’re getting back in transition a lot, and a lot of times you end up cross-matched. I think that’s really the scary proposition is when you end up with somebody on him that’s not supposed to be on him.”
With that said, there are very few defenders who can stay with Antetokounmpo, who is averaging 27.3 points, 12.9 rebounds and six assists per game while shooting a robust 57 percent from the field.
“It takes a team effort to have any impact on him,” Fizdale said.
Rookie Mitchell Robinson (bruised left heel) is questionable for the game against the Bucks.