The New York Knicks have a lot to work on this preseason before real games begin at the end of October. While head coach Mike Woodson continues to work out the starting lineup for the upcoming season, he is making defense play a large role as to who gets the remaining spots in the starting five. As Iman Shumpert and JR Smith compete for the guard position, Woodson is targeting their aggressiveness on the court as the deciding factor.
Woodson is pushing Shumpert to really improve on his defense in the upcoming 2013 season. As Smith excels in the sixth man role, if Shumpert can improve on his consistency, he will lock down the starting spot.
"Iman plays hard. That, to me, is the thing that's kept him on the floor," Woodson said, via ESPNNewYork.com. "[But] he's just got to figure out, we've got to help him figure out, [how] his game that coincides with what we want to do. He's got to be able to play pick-and-roll offense [and] he's got to be able to run the team with the ball in his hands, because our [point guards, shooting guards and small forwards] handle the basketball."
Woodson has been extremely critical of Shumpert throughout the preseason. Is the Knicks coach going for a tough love type of motivation? Woodson continues to stress areas of improvement for the third-year player. After shooting just 39 percent from the field in 2012, the head coach wants Shumpert to become a primary player on the pick and roll and also focus more on his shooting from beyond the arc. Shumpert hit just 40 percent of his three-point shots. All of this criticism does not bother the guard.
"Every level I've gotten yelled at, but I think it's just because I can do a lot of different things and they expect a lot out of me," said Shumpert, who cut his famous flattop over the weekend. "I'd rather somebody expect a lot out of me than nothing at all."
While Smith has yet to take the court for the Knicks following a knee surgery and an upcoming suspension, Woodson is not prepared to just hand the starting spot over the Shumpert. While he will likely start when Smith is serving his league suspension, Shumpert must earn the long-term role.
"There are some things he's got to clean up. He's still a young player," Woodson said. "And there's nothing wrong with that; we've got to help him get there quickly. That's the name of the game."
