{"id":518,"date":"2016-09-12T07:45:13","date_gmt":"2016-09-12T11:45:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprobasketball.com\/?p=518"},"modified":"2016-09-12T12:17:08","modified_gmt":"2016-09-12T16:17:08","slug":"new-york-knicks-roster-point-guards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2016\/09\/12\/new-york-knicks-roster-point-guards\/","title":{"rendered":"New York Knicks Roster Breakdown: Point Guards"},"content":{"rendered":"

NBA<\/strong> fans around the world: rejoice. The 2016-17 NBA season is quickly approaching. Over the next five weeks, Last Word On Pro Basketball<\/strong> will provide a breakdown of the New York Knicks<\/strong> roster, looking at a different position each week.\u00a0Let’s start with the point guards.<\/em><\/p>\n

New York Knicks Roster Breakdown: Point Guards<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The point guard position has been the Achilles heel of the\u00a0New York Knicks<\/strong> roster for the better part of a decade. Fans have been forced to watch an overweight Raymond Felto<\/strong>n, and over-the-hill Jose Calderon<\/a><\/strong>, and two wet-behind-the-ears players in Jerian Grant<\/a><\/strong> and Langston Galloway<\/a><\/strong> try to man the position. Not one of those four players are still on the team. In one off-season, Phil Jackson<\/a><\/strong> has turned the point guard position from the weakest link into arguably the deepest position on the Knicks roster.<\/p>\n

Starter: Derrick Rose<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Derrick Rose<\/strong> was brought in to provide stability and star power at\u00a0the point guard position. Rose was the 2008-09\u00a0Rookie of the Year <\/strong>award winner. He is also a three-time All-Star. The former number one overall pick became the league’s youngest player to win the\u00a0Most Valuable Player <\/strong>award, doing so in\u00a0the 2010-11 season, which saw him average 25.0 points and 7.7 assists per game.<\/p>\n

The problem is that since that season, Rose\u00a0has been plagued by injuries. Rose played in 66 games last season and averaged 16.4 points and 4.7 assists per game. That was the most games he has been able to play in one season since his MVP campaign. Entering his eighth season in the league, New York does not need the MVP Rose. They just need a healthy Rose.<\/p>\n

Primary Back-up: Brandon Jennings<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Brandon Jennings<\/strong> was\u00a0brought in to back up Rose this season. The 6’1″, 169-pound guard is also entering his eighth season in the league. During his career, he has averaged 15.5 points, 5.9 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. Like Rose, Jennings had to deal with injuries in the past.<\/p>\n

His 2014-15 season was cut short after 44 games due to a knee injury. He also missed the first 31 games of last season while still recovering. Jennings played mostly as a reserve\u00a0for the\u00a0Detroit Pistons<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>and Orlando Magic<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong>last year. He averaged 6.9 points and 3.5 assists per game. He also had the worst shooting season of his career, at just 36.8 percent from the floor. He hit\u00a032.9 percent of his\u00a0three-pointers, and shot just\u00a073.1 percent from the foul line. If Jennings can get his health back to 100 percent, he has the ability to make a run at\u00a0the\u00a0Sixth Man of the Year<\/strong> award.<\/p>\n

Third String: Chasson Randle<\/a><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Chasson Randle<\/strong> was the darling of the Knicks\u00a0Orlando\u00a0Summer League<\/strong> team. The former Mr. Basketball in the state of Illinois averaged 18.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 3.0 steals in three Summer League games. Being at the end of the depth chart does not provide many opportunities to earn playing time. Randle has the advantage of having a 6’2″, 185-pound frame, as well as\u00a0the ability to play either guard position.<\/p>\n

Phil Jackson does love himself big, experienced guards. In his four years at Stanford University<\/strong>, Randle earned First Team All Pac-12<\/strong> honors twice. At the time of his graduation, Randle\u00a0was Stanford’s all-time leading scorer with 2,375 points. He may not end up receiving\u00a0a lot of playing time\u00a0for the Knicks. The minutes\u00a0he does get, though, will be valuable to Randle’s\u00a0progression.<\/p>\n

The NBA is a point guard driven league these days. The Knicks have done a good job of adding depth to the position without committing to lengthy contracts. All three of these players are on one-year or expiring contracts\u00a0that end next summer. So if things go wrong, the Knicks\u00a0can just reset and start fresh next year.<\/p>\n

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Main photo:<\/p>\n

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Embed from Getty Images<\/a><\/div>\n