Knicks: J.R. Smith Will Take a Larger Role With Injury to Raymond Felton

The New York Knicks suffer a blow with the loss of Raymond Felton due to an injury, diagnosed as a broken right pinky finger. How severe the injury is in question, but Felton expects to be out 4-6 weeks. That means it’s J.R. Smith time. Like it hasn’t been already. The Knicks guard is averaging career-highs in points with 15.7, and rebounds with 5. Mike Woodson shows a lot of faith in Smith playing him almost 33-minutes a game, off the bench. Smith brings an old school moxie to the Knicks, equipped with ice in his veins. The 99-97, victory over the Suns was Smith’s most recent game winner. The Knicks bombarded their teammate with praise after Smith, drained a corner fade-away jumper with one second remaining. Right now Smith is shooting 41% from the field and 36% from behind the arc. Felton’s absence means more shots to be distributed between Smith and the Knicks suave veteran, Jason Kidd. Ronnie Brewer should start but isn’t a scoring guard. The Knicks take a bit of hit with the loss of an orchestrator in Raymond Felton. Kidd is going to handle the ball more often but the less wear and tear on the Knicks vet the better. Yeah I know, I’ve said this before. Smith dishes around 3 assists a game but if he can average around 5—or—6 during Felton’s absence would be a great lift for the Knickerbockers. Don’t assume the Knicks are dead in the water for a second. Carmelo Anthony has proven to be a willing passer this season. I’ll take it a step further and say a better passer overall. Pablo Prigioni may also get some looks, I feel he deserves, if he’s capable of holding up his end of the deal defensively. Prigioni in the games he has played had a great feel for his Knicks teammates. Smith out of every player in a Knicks uniform can benefit the most until Felton returns. On the defensive end Smith is a consistent pest, which is why Woodson plays the Knicks guard so often. The Knicks reserve also snatches 1.3 steals per game and doesn’t turn the ball over, which Felton never does. The 1—2 combo of Anthony and Smith should be pretty exciting at the Garden. The return of the Knicks other star, Amare Stoudemire, becomes a little more interesting in Felton’s absence. Smith would have been leading the bench with Stoudemire, but Felton gone might move Anthony down to the small forward position—inserting Stoudemire back at the power forward spot. I know this is a little too much for one day with the firing of Avery Johnson and all that. Smith doesn’t mind the extra load, ask Phoenix. Follow Me On Twitter