Take that, Iman Shumpert’s market value.
The New York Knicks’ third-year injured shooting guard was dangled just about everywhere leading up to the NBA’s trade deadline. Thursday’s 3 p.m. ET deadline came and went, however, and Shumpert was left with the Knicks (and still injured).
Shumpert’s continued presence wasn’t for lack of trying to ship him out on New York’s behalf. In the days leading up to the deadline, Shumpert’s name seemed to be linked to half the league. But that’s done and over with. The trade deadline has come to pass, and Shumpert is still with the Knicks. It’s time to discuss more important things.
Like whether or not Shumpert is even considered good outside New York.
One anonymous NBA executive conveyed to the New York Post‘s Marc Berman that he wasn’t a fan, and the description he gave suggested that the Knicks—who were thought to be seeking a first-round pick and/or the willingness to assume the rest of Raymond Felton’s contract as compensation—may be overvaluing the embattled and injury-prone shooting guard.
“Not a big fan,” the exec said. “He’s not a good shooter. Is he a stopper or just a good defender? His performances are all over the place. He’s an OK rotation player on maybe a playoff team, but on Indiana or Miami, he wouldn’t even play.”
Burn.
And a gross exaggeration.
Shumpert would most definitely play on the Miami Heat, who could use a defense-oriented shooting guard as insurance behind Dwyane Wade’s equally damaged knees. So there would definitely be minutes for him in Miami.
Playing for the Indiana Pacers could be a different story, though coach Frank Vogel does value athletic wings who can also defend and at his peak, that’s just what Shumpert is. So let’s call bullshit on that part of the comment.
As for the rest of it? Well, the exec has a point.
At this point, it doesn’t seem like Shumpert is destined for stardom like so many originally hoped. Perhaps he would play better on a different team within a different culture, but his tendency to disappear for games—yes, games—at a time is unnerving either way.
That in mind, Berman also reveals Shumpert is unhappy with the way Knicks coach Mike Woodson uses him:
However, according to a person familiar with the guards thinking, Shumpert feels he can be used better by coach Mike Woodson.
Shumpert, according to the source, prefers not to play the small-forward position in the team’s two point-guard alignment. But especially with Andrea Bargnani injured, Woodson wants to roll with a three-guard unit to keep Carmelo Anthony at power forward.
There’s definitely some validity to that thought. Making the jump from shooting guard to small forward isn’t the same as small forwards playing power forward. In the latter situation, those shifting to the 4 usually have an athletic edge over their opponents. Moving from shooting guard to small forward is more of a lateral shift, except the players you’re facing and guarding can be taller and more athletic themselves. Think of it as the complete opposite of shifting from small forward to power forward.
At 6’5″, Shumpert isn’t the ideal small forward size-wise. Bear in mind that his explosion and quickness just aren’t the same since he tore his ACL in 2012, either. At the same time, the NBA is almost universally smaller, so he shouldn’t be at a nightly disadvantage playing the 3.
To attribute all his struggles to merely playing out of position is ludicrous. Long before the Knicks (re-)embraced small ball, Shumpert was struggling at the 2-guard position.
Playing in New York, for a generally dysfunctional franchise and under an ultra-bright spotlight probably hasn’t helped, either. Shumpert’s situation has also been compounded by recurrent injuries and incessant trade rumors, so his circumstances are far from ideal.
What his future holds is anyone’s guess. The trade deadline has come to pass, but he and the Knicks seem fated for a breakup at some point. Tim Hardaway Jr., while not a good defender, is playing well and Woodson possesses some sort of misplaced loyalty with regards to J.R. Smith.
“He’s average,” a scout told Berman. “He plays very hard, but he’s average.”
Free from the burden of trade rumors for the rest of this season, maybe Shumpert, when healthy, can prove himself to be more than an average talent playing below-average basketball for a team that just doesn’t seem to value or understand him.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com.
