In addressing the news that point guard Luca Vildoza now waived from the Knicks, head coach Tom Thibodeau has revealed that he has liked what he’s seen of shooting guard Wayne Selden during the team’s training camp, tweets Marc Berman of the New York Post.
With Vildoza gone, Selden is now the only player on a non-guaranteed contract left on the Knicks’ roster. New York has 13 players signed to guaranteed deals and one player inked to a two-way contract. The 6-5 journeyman shooting guard out of Kansas, 26, has suited up for the Pelicans, Bulls and Grizzlies since going undrafted in 2016.
There’s more out of the Big Apple:
- New Knicks shooting guard Evan Fournier applauded the team’s coach, reigning Coach of the Year Tom Thibodeau, and its mix of veterans and young players, per Zach Braziller of the New York Post. “A coach that’s about working, a coach that’s very intense, that tells you things how they are, keeps it real, and just wants to get better,” Fournier said. “I think he’s very good at making sure you understand what he wants from you. It’s very clear. There’s no gray area, and there’s no place for misinterpretation. As a player, especially a new guy, it’s easy because you know what to do.” Fournier likened his experiences thus far with the Knicks to his rookie season, playing for the 57-win 2012-13 Nuggets under George Karl. Fournier praised Thibodeau’s attentiveness and intensity.
- Even though the Knicks had a fairly high conversion rate of their three-pointers last season, they took among the fewest long-range shots in the league (30.0). Zach Braziller of the New York Post writes New York is hoping to boost its output without losing much accuracy. “We want the right 3s,” Thibodeau said. “Like I don’t want to take random ones where we don’t have floor balance and we can’t get back. So to get the defense to collapse, to attack it before it’s set where we have a numerical advantage, but to take the right ones. So try to get away from the long two.” Earlier in the week, reserve guard Derrick Rose suggested that the Knicks could up their numbers to attempting to shoot between 37 and 40 three-pointers a night, which Thibodeau appeared to support.
- With defensive-oriented guards Frank Ntilikina, Elfrid Payton and Reggie Bullock now elsewhere, rookie Knicks guard Miles McBride is hoping to step in as a stopper for New York, writes Steve Popper of Newsday. Rookie shooting guard Quentin Grimes, the No. 25 pick this year, also appears to have potential at the defensive end. “I love how they compete,” Thibodeau raved. Their toughness, their competitiveness, their basketball IQ. They’re sponges, they’re in here all the time, they’re picking up things. Our veterans have done a great job with them. We’ll find out, but I’m confident when they do get their opportunity they will play well.”
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