The New York Knicks have surprised some people with their start to the season and with how well they have played for the most part as they are 5-6. Kevin Seraphin was a big part of the Knicks' most recent win against the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday as he made several big plays in the fourth quarter. Before this game Seraphin was out of the Knicks rotation as they are deep in the frontcourt but this performance might have earned him some more minutes, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Seraphin was a free agent this offseason and had a few suitors but wanted to sign with a team that would give him an opportunity at a bigger role than the one he had with the Washington Wizards. So far this season that hasn't happened for Seraphin as he has only played in seven games and averaged 7.3 minutes per game. On Sunday though, Seraphin was inserted as Kyle O'Quinn and Robin Lopez were struggling and he made the most of his opportunity scoring 12 points and adding three rebounds and two assists.
Coming into the season Seraphin seemed likely to be the Knicks backup center behind Lopez but for a variety of reasons, including sore knees, he lost that spot to a combination of Lou Amundson, Derrick Williams and O'Quinn. Now it seems like Seraphin will have a real shot to get some consistent minutes and show that he belongs in the rotation.
Seraphin went into head coach Derrick Fisher's office recently to ask what he needs to do to get more time on the court and Fisher said it's all about defense.
"It's frustration when you don't play for sure. I definitely wasn't happy, was frustrated and kept working. I kept my frustration on the treadmill. I went to his office and asked him, 'What do you expect from me?' 'What I should do more and better to be on the court? He expects more from the defensive part. He told me the offensive part, don't worry about this part, get more rebounds and make some stops," said Seraphin.
The interesting part about Fisher's response is that Seraphin has actually excelled on the defensive side of the ball this season in his limited opportunities, based on the advanced metrics, and has throughout his career. As for rebounding Seraphin averages eight rebounds per 36 minutes in his career which is a similar number to Lopez who also has two inches on him.
Seraphin isn't the kind of player that is going to carry you to a win on most nights but at the very least he is a solid backup center that should at least get some sort of minutes. Fisher didn't have him in the rotation but Sunday's performance might have been a reminder that Seraphin could and should be playing more.
