TORONTO — Knicks coach Mike Woodson said at Thursday’s practice Iman Shumpert will again come off the bench in Toronto on Friday as he will go with the all-point-guard backcourt of Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni.
Woodson is handling Shumpert somewhat mysteriously, saying over the last week he wants him to battle for the starting shooting-guard slot with the injured J.R. Smith, the Sixth Man Award winner last season.
Woodson has said he wants to go with a traditional backcourt this season, using a natural shooting guard. But he still won’t put Shumpert in as a starter yet despite his perfect evening Wednesday in Providence in the preseason opener. Shumpert hit all seven of his shots, including three 3-pointers, to finish with a team-high 18 points in 24 minutes. It appears Woodson is hoping Smith earns the starting nod and is grooming Shumpert to be comfortable coming off the bench.
Originally, Woodson claimed Shumpert, who sat out three days of practice with a sore shoulder, didn’t start the opener because he didn’t have enough practice reps. Woodson finished last season with a Felton-Prigioni backcourt.
“I just like to see what it looks like [again] with the big frontcourt,’’ Woodson said of the all-PG backcourt.
After the team’s practice Thursday at Ryerson University, Woodson said he will stick with the starting frontcourt of Tyson Chandler, Andrea Bargnani and Carmelo Anthony. Bargnani is making his first return to Toronto since the trade in late June and figures to get a hostile greeting.
In the 103-102 win over Boston on Wednesday night, Bargnani hit for 12 points on 3-of-8 shooting, making all six of his free throws. After a slow start, Bargnani excelled in faking shots from the perimeter and going to the basket.
On Thursday, Woodson praised the team’s “spacing’’ with Bargnani on the floor.