New York Knicks News: The Knicks look to have their 15-man roster set heading into training camp, as they signed 2014 second round pick Thanasis Antetokounmpo to a partially guaranteed two-year deal.
After the New York Knicks signed free agent center Kevin Seraphin with their room exception Tuesday, it brought their roster heading into training camp at 13 players; 14 if you count Langston Galloway and his partially guaranteed deal as he is expected to make the team. They didn’t waste any time handing out the 15th and last spot on their roster, as it looks like they will be signing Thanasis Antetokounmpo.
Antetokounmpo was a second round pick of the Knicks in 2014 and the older brother to Milwaukee Bucks budding star Giannis Antetokounmpo. To the surprise of many he stayed stateside, deciding to play for the Knicks D-League team for $25,000. It is surprising because he passed on more lucrative offers from overseas, reportedly being offered a two-year, $550,000 deal. But, after talking with Knicks President Phil Jackson last season, Antetokounmpo decided to stay in the organization.
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His patience is now being rewarded, as he received the NBA contract he coveted. It is not fully guaranteed, but getting any guaranteed money gives him a leg up on the competition heading into training camp. It also means there is something the Knicks liked enough about him to give him some security.
What they probably liked is the length and defensive prowess Antetokounmpo possesses. Standing at 6-feet-6 inches tall, he has a wingspan of 7-feet that makes him a terror on the defensive side of the ball. He averaged 1.7 steals and blocks on the season, which are impressive numbers for a wing player. His size also helps him on the glass, where he averaged a strong 6.2 rebounds per game.
While those numbers are nice to see, and are both areas the Knicks could use help in, Antetokounmpo is a work in progress offensively; and that’s putting it nicely. He was able to score 13.9 points per game for the D-League Knicks, the second highest amount of players who played a majority of the season with the team. But, it wasn’t an easy path to scoring those 13.9 points per game.
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Antetokounmpo shot 46 percent from the field, which isn’t a bad percentage. But, most of that damage was done near the basket as he has a jump shot lacking any consistency. He shot only 23.2 percent from behind the arc last season in the D-League, a number that was only improved to 28 percent in the 2015 NBA Las Vegas Summer League. His inconsistency follows to the free throw line, where he shot 61.8 percent last season.
Those inconsistencies offensively is what is holding Antetokounmpo back at the moment. If he is able to show the Knicks he can hold his own offensively and not be a liability, he could carve out a role on this team. His abilities on defense alone warrant attention, so if he can ever add anything offensively, even just a consistent mid range jump shot, it will greatly increase his chances of getting playing time with the Knicks.
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