Knicks Rumors: Jerian Grant To Enter Starting Lineup?

The New York Knicks have had a strong preseason thus far, winning all three of their games. But, it is tough to gauge what they will look like once the regular season rolls around because of some injuries they have suffered, namely to Arron Afflalo. Afflalo is expected to be the starting shooting guard for the Knicks when the regular season starts, but he has yet to take the court because of a nagging hamstring injury.

Also On Empire Writes Back: Knicks Training Camp Battle: Galloway vs. Grant

Because of that, the Knicks have been using Sasha Vujacic in the starting lineup. The results have been mostly underwhelming thus far, as the Knicks starting backcourt of him and Jose Calderon leaves a lot to be desired. That is why the Knicks have been considering a change to place rookie Jerian Grant into the starting lineup.

According to Chris Herring, that is an idea that the Knicks have been tossing around, but thus far have been reluctant to do so because of Afflalo.

Fish says he's considered starting Grant to see how he looks there, but he's reluctant to do it bc that will eventually be Afflalo's spot.
— Chris Herring (@Herring_NBA) October 13, 2015

While some people will say that is a poor reason to not move Grant into the starting lineup, it makes sense. Derek Fisher needs to get his rotations set as much as he can, so on that level it makes sense to put Vujacic, someone not expected to be in the rotation, into the starting lineup instead of messing up the chemistry the bench unit could be creating. So, using Vujacic as a placeholder in meaningless games makes more sense than yo-yoing a rookie in Grant between roles as he tries to get his feet wet at the NBA level.

More from New York Knicks

The next thing people would ask then, would be, why not Calderon go to the bench for Grant? Well that is because Fisher does not view Calderon as a bench player. It has seemed pretty clear during press conferences that Calderon is one of four players pretty much locked into a starting spot with Afflalo, Carmelo Anthony and Robin Lopez. That leaves one start spot somewhere in the front court available, while Grant does not play.

But, it would be worthwhile still for Grant to get some playing time with the starting unit. If Fisher decides to start Anthony at power forward, there is an opening in the backcourt then for a player like Grant. Even if Fisher decides against going with Anthony at power forward, it would still be smart to see how Grant looks with the rest of the starters. There is a chance Grant could overtake Calderon as the starting point guard if he continues performing as he has in the preseason, no matter what Fisher says at this point about Calderon’s standing as the starting point guard.

At this point, there is very little chance that Grant overtakes Afflalo as the starting shooting guard, as he was brought in partly because of his experience playing with Anthony. He should have a starting spot once he is healthy; Calderon is the player that should be more worried about losing his starting spot.

Fisher’s reasoning for not wanting to start Grant makes sense right now, as building chemistry with the second unit is important if that is where he ultimately plays from. But, Fisher should definitely consider starting him alongside Calderon and Afflalo as the Knicks have been most successful in recent seasons with Anthony at power forward.

Whatever Fisher decides to do with the lineup, you can be sure of one thing; Grant will be a major part of the rotation. His athleticism alone will improve the Knicks, but he has shown an ability to get to the basket and create for both himself and his teammates. It is something the Knicks have lacked in certain seasons, and makes him a fit no matter if it is off the bench or in the starting lineup.

Ultimately, Grant should find his way into the starting lineup. Even if it is at the expense of someone like Calderon down the road, or fellow rookie Kristaps Porzingis at the start, he should be there eventually. The Knicks need to get their five best players on the court, and at this time, Grant looks to be a part of that group.

Next: Who is the greatest Knicks' PG of all-time?

More from Empire Writes Back

Home/New York Knicks