And let’s not even get into the Beno Udrih fiasco. Felton was overweight and overmatched, Smith was incredibly erratic (even by his standards) coming off a marijuana suspension and knee surgery, and Shumpert-whose tense relationship with Mike Woodson was palpable-drifted in and out of games like a petulant teenager. If the Knicks want to entertain any notions of the playoffs next season, Hardaway must improve. Shedding his gunner mentality would go a long way for Hardaway. Hardaway was too streaky, mostly due to poor shot selection. The “promising” part of “promising rookie year” was mainly limited to Hardaway’s offensive game, where he ran the floor like a gazelle and at times lit it up from range. If Hardaway has any designs on a successful NBA career, he must shore up his defense. Hardaway’s 114 defensive rating ranked 328th out of 337 players who logged 500 minutes last season, and the numbers bear out what was visible on the court: frequent mental lapses, failure to close out shooters and struggles guarding the pick-and-roll. Their target will be Hardaway’s soft underbelly: his defense. Teams are armed with a season of film and data documenting Hardaway’s weaknesses, which they will exploit. But opponents now have a book on Hardaway. Hardaway hasn't had to battle injuries like Shumpert, and confidence issues-which derailed Fields-are the least of Hardaway's concerns. Although it’s clear that Hardaway is a more prototypical shooting guard than Fields or Shumpert, the numbers are strikingly similar. averaged 10.2 points, 1.5 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 23.1 minutes per game while shooting 42.8 percent from the field and 36.3 percent from beyond the arc. His offensive game has barely improved in three seasons, if at all, and his defense has slipped too-a 108 defensive rating last season placed Shumpert in the bottom half of the league. It’s difficult to say how much the injury stunted Shumpert’s development, but it certainly didn’t help. Shumpert didn't shoot as well as Fields (40.1 percent from the field and 30.6 percent from three) but earned a reputation as a lockdown defender and boasted a defensive rating of 101, excellent for a rookie. Like Fields, Shumpert debuted with aplomb, averaging 9.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 28.9 minutes per game. Shumpert’s career arc has been tragic in its own way. Fields lost confidence in his second year, and his percentages dipped to 46.0 percent from the field and a ghastly 25.6 percent from three-point range. Even his free-throw shooting plummeted (76.9 percent to 56.2 percent).īy Year 4, Fields was averaging just 2.3 points in 10.7 minutes per game for Toronto (including 35 games in which he didn't play due to a coach's decision), putting his NBA career on life support.
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