The New York Knicks have a few decisions to make as the regular season is fast approaching and one of the big ones is who is going to start. As of right now it appears Jose Calderon, Carmelo Anthony and Robin Lopez are locks for the starting lineup but the other two spots are wide open. It was assumed earlier this offseason that Arron Afflalo was a lock to start at shooting guard but now it seems as though he is not and rookie Jerian Grant has a chance for that spot, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Afflalo signed a two year $16 million deal with the Knicks this offseason and was one of their biggest acquisitions along with Lopez. The Knicks figure to struggle for offense this season as Anthony is their only real scoring threat with Afflalo being their second best option. Because of that it seemed as though Afflalo would likely be in the starting lineup but now it seems as though the Knicks might want to use him more as a sixth man.
Grant is another option to start at the two guard spot and he brings another ball handler to the table that can pass well, not to mention he scored very well in college. Afflalo isn't a great ball handler and he is already dealing with a hamstring issue so Grant might actually be the favorite to start right now. If Grant were to start it is possible the Knicks could have two rookies in the starting lineup as Kristaps Porzingis has a chance to start at power forward.
Regardless of who starts it will probably be Afflalo on the floor at the end of the game as he is a proven scorer and he is the better defender. Head coach Derek Fisher thinks who finishes is more important than who starts.
"It's not so much who we start, but finding a group of five who can finish games is more important. A group of five that can defend, rebound but also good enough offensively to get buckets down the stretch," said Fisher.
Grant was the 19th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft by the Washington Wizards before the Knicks traded for him. Grant had a great career at Notre Dame and was named a first team All-American in his senior season. The 22 year old combo guard shot 35 percent from three in college and led the ACC with 6.7 assists per game as a senior so his game should translate to the NBA. If Grant starts opening night for the Knicks it would come as a bit of a surprise just because of the money they are paying Afflalo but he definitely has the tools to be a successful NBA player.
