The New York Knicks drafted Thanasis Antetokounmpo in the second round of the 2014 NBA draft with the hopes that he could possibly develop into a useful piece long-term. After spending two seasons in the D-League Antetokounmpo finally signed a deal with the Knicks that has some guaranteed money in it which made it look like he had a real shot to make the team. Antetokounmpo is by no means a lock to get cut just yet but the way he has been used in the preseason could mean that he is in very serious danger of being left off the final roster, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post.
The Knicks have played three preseason games so far and Antetokounmpo, although he is healthy, has played just two minutes of one game while not even being used in the other two. The 6 foot-7 forward has improved according to head coach Derek Fisher but he also thinks that the Knicks are deep at the forward position so finding minutes for him has not been easy. Fisher did go on to say that Antetokounmpo will likely get a shot this weekend as the Knicks are playing back-to-back days.
Antetokounmpo showed his commitment to the Knicks last season when he decided to turn down a deal in Europe that would have paid around $1 million to play for the Knicks D-League affiliate while making just $25,000. That commitment may not work out for him though as he reportedly has the same amount of guaranteed money in his contract as the undrafted training camp invitees.
Berman still believes the brother of Giannis Antetokounmpo is still a slight favorite to make the roster as the 15th man but it is far from a lock. The lack of playing time in the preseason seems to point in the direction of the Knicks being done with this experiment. Antetokounmpo is known as a guy who plays with tremendous energy and uses his great length to be disruptive on defense but the Knicks haven't seen enough improvement in his offensive game.
If the Knicks decide not to carry Antetokounmpo on their final roster he has said he will not go back to the D-League. Instead the 23 year old will hope for another NBA team to show interest, Giannis' Milwaukee Bucks could be an option, and if that doesn't happen he will likely go overseas.
