Delon Wright Making Bid For Permanent Knicks Role

When Cameron Payne hit the shelf last week, Tom Thibodeau suddenly found himself without his top three point guard options. Jalen Brunson suffered a nasty ankle sprain on March 6th, Miles McBride‘s groin injury has kept him out for five straight games, and Payne is missing time after also rolling his ankle. While none of these three injuries appear serious anymore and all three should return soon, it forced Thibodeau to dig deep into the guard reserves. Rookie Tyler Kolek has played real minutes in five straight and flashed his excellent passing, but still has a ton of work to do on both ends of the floor. Meanwhile, ten-year veteran Delon Wright stepped into the starting lineup last Friday and has done nothing but impress.

Delon Wright Making Bid For Permanent Knicks Role

Wright was acquired for Jericho Sims in a quiet deadline deal between Milwaukee and New York. Both players seem to have needed new homes, but Wright hasn’t gotten true playing time since being traded. He appeared in six games prior to last Wednesday, posting single-digit minutes in all six.

However, when Payne left the lineup in Wednesday’s loss to the Clippers, Wright got his shot. Although he struggled in his 12 minutes that night, Thibodeau gave him the starting job in Milwaukee two days later. Kolek had shown flashes of his NBA potential as a playmaker, but struggled mightily as a scorer, shooter, and defender. At the very least, Thibs knew he would get competent defense from the 32-year-old. He’s turned out to be much more so far.

Wright Flashed Some Offensive Contributions

In his two games as a starter, Wright has averaged 9.5 points on 8/15 from the field and 3/7 from deep. He’s also recorded six assists in the two outings and has done well as a ball-handler. He’s provided a steady, experienced hand for the Knicks who can get the ball to their best players.

The concern in Wright’s offensive game was his inability to shoot from deep. So far, he’s hit 3 of his 7 outside jumpers, which is more than good enough. However, if he struggles like his season numbers would suggest, he’ll be tough to play against elite teams because of limited spacing. It’s been just two games, but we should all keep an eye on his production.

The Veteran is an Elite Defender

Although it was time for New York to part ways with Sims, they also quietly got back a player who could make a difference for the current team. Not only is he an experienced veteran who provided leadership, he is legitimately an elite perimeter defender. Wright slides his feet well, is aggressive on the ball, gets over screens, and can switch onto bigger players due to his strength. For a team that lacks point-of-attack defense despite big defensive names, Wright should be useful in certain matchups. He gives New York one more guy who fits the Thibodeau identity.

Wright has played in big playoff games before and understands what it takes to win at the highest level. He can guard the opponent’s best ball-handler. His experience and grit could be valuable to Thibodeau in the postseason, at least in a spot role here and there. However, Wright’s making a case to be a real part of the playoff rotation.