If the season was still going on, the New York Knicks had a plan. They were planning on giving minutes to Ignas ‘Iggy’ Brazdeikis at the end of the year.
More of these speculations are to come out for the Knicks but this one is frustrating. Before COVID-19 brought a halt to the season, Iggy played 24 games for the Knicks G-league affiliate in Westchester. He’s averaging 20.9 points per while shooting .501% from the field in 33.5 minutes. Iggy also averages 7.2 total boards with 3.1 assists.
Iggy was playing with extreme confidence in Westchester. He’s able to be aggressive with taking his defender to the hoop with the ability to hit the pull-up jumper. Iggy deserves a shot when, and if, the season resumes.
The Knicks are in a rebuild and youth movement. Fans were begging that the team made moves at the deadline to make room for him, Kenny Wooten and even Lamar Peters. However, that wasn’t the case.
Interim head coach Mike Miller insisted on playing the veterans despite being out of playoff contention. It makes sense he would, trying to save his job. But he most likely won’t return next season.
Iggy would have been a prime candidate to take minutes away from second-year lottery pick Kevin Knox. Knox had an horrific start to the year but started turning the corner 2 weeks ago. His stats weren’t anything eye-popping but it was the little things that got Knicks fans saying ‘finally’. It just so happens that the season was suspended when Knox started playing well.
With the season still in question, giving minutes to two, or three, Westchester stand outs should happen. The New York Knicks need to look at all areas of their youth and give them a fair chance. A hidden gem like Iggy is already playing at an NBA level and deserves it.