Even though the Westchester Knicks lost a close game on Monday, G League and NBA fans alike could not help but be excited by what they saw out of rookie forward, Ignas Brazdeikis.
Brazdeikis, a second-round pick out of the University of Michigan, has impressed early on in his career. His real coming-out party happened on Monday when Brazdeikis exploded, scoring 36 points, with six rebounds and two steals.
On Friday, less than a week after his breakout, Brazdeikis was recalled to the NBA Knicks.
New York Knicks coach David Fizdale spoke on Brazdeikis, following his performance on Monday.
“I commend [GM] Scott Perry and the staff. I didn’t know anything about Iggy because I watch very little college basketball and they said “You know if we get this kid right here we may have a player,” Fizdale explained. “So I got to the film that night and immediately fell in love with him. It’s easy to root for Iggy. He know how to play he’s tough as nails, he’s super crafty.”
Brazdeikis has played a total of four games with Westchester. In his other three games, Brazdeikis has averaged only 12 points per game and shot 31 percent from the field.
The Knicks need to help Ignas develop:
In Brazdeikis’ debut, he shot just under 50 percent and scored 15 points. In his first two games, Brazdeikis averaged 25.5 points per game and was very efficient, scoring on 22 of his 41 field goal attempts.
In his last two games, Brazdeikis has only 10.5 points per game and has only converted on 25 percent of his field goals.
In Wednesday’s game against the Grand Rapids Drive, the Pistons G-League affiliate, Brazdeikis, was matched up against first-round pick Sekou Doumbouya. Brazdeikis struggled with Doumboya’s length, but he did show the ability to create his shot. The shots were not falling, however, as he went 4 of 14 from the field. One of those looks ended with a four-point play. The four-point play gave Westchester a second-half lead.
Even though Brazdeikis’ shooting numbers may be dipping, he is improving in other areas. For example, Brazdeikis had 11 rebounds in his last game after only having 2 in his first game. Brazdeikis has averaged seven rebounds per game in the G League. If you exclude his debut, he has averaged 8.7 rebounds per game.
Brazdeikis’ rebounding prowess has been a surprise addition to his skillset. In college, Brazdeikis only averaged 5.4 rebounds per game.
Brazdeikis also averages 1.25 steals per game and 0.5 blocks per game thus far.
While it may seem Brazdeikis is inconsistent, he is a rookie who is developing his game for success at the next level. His scoring instinct and innate ability to find his shot also, to his new commitment to rebounding, were always going to make it challenging to keep Brazdeikis down in Westchester for an extended period.