Knicks president Phil Jackson was excited this spring about the prospect of his All-Star backcourt of Tony Wroten and Sasha Vujacic.
Wait, they’re not All-Stars?
In the latest installment of the Phil Jackson Chronicles written by Charley Rosen for Today’s Fast Break, Jackson glowingly calls Wroten “an excellent penetrator” (before knee surgery) who could improve his shooting as did Blake Griffin or Kawhi Leonard. In the interview, conducted in March, Jackson also says Wroten “certainly fits the description of the type of point guard that we’re looking for.”
The 23-year old was cut by the Knicks on June 22.
Vujacic, a Jackson disciple since his first year in the NBA with the Lakers, receives nothing but praise — nearly the opposite of the ire he typically draws from the Garden faithful.
“I totally understand why [Kurt] Rambis has decided to start Vujacic over [Arron Afflalo]. Sasha played for me in LA and he knows the triangle and knows his role,” Jackson said.
Jackson defends Vujacic as a “streak shooter” while noting “the only way he can score is by shooting 3-pointers and his percentage is somewhere in the 20s.” The Zen Master also calls Vujacic a “hustling, pesky defender.”
Vujacic had a 104.1 defensive rating last season, roughly equal to the 104.8 defensive rating that the Knicks posted as a team. The Knicks re-signed him to a 1-year, $1.4 million contract during the second wave of free agency, though it’s unlikely he’ll start again after the team brought in Courtney Lee to play 2-guard and acquired Justin Holiday from the Bulls as a backup at that position.