When point guard Iman Shumpert arrived in Westchester for his workout on June 9, Knicks brass knew he was a big, rugged backcourt defender at 6-foot-5. What coach Mike D’Antoni wanted to see was if Shumpert could shoot it just a little after going a ghastly 27 percent from 3-point land as a Georgia Tech junior.
What transpired had D’Antoni’s jaw drop.
“His knock was he couldn’t shoot, but as soon as he got the ball, his form was perfect and he made shots,” D’Antoni said. “You can say it’s one day. But by his form, we think he can become very good shooter. If that’s the knock on him, we’re excited about that. His best qualities are defensively and athleticism, but his workout is one of the best we’ve ever had and we’ve been drafting high the past three years. We all turned together at the same time and said, ‘Wow, this is pretty good.’ ”
Shumpert was back in Westchester yesterday, flying in from his hometown Chicago where he watched the draft. He was unable to wipe the grin off his face and was engaging and articulate during his sitdown with the media. An aspiring sports broadcaster, Shumpert privately had prayed the Knicks would take him at No. 17.
“It’s a dream come true,” Shumpert said, who attended last night’s Yankees game along with second-round pick Josh Harrellson.
Shumpert knows why he is here — and it’s not launching from the perimeter.
“There’s definitely that need to play defense here,” Shumpert said. “The way the veteran guys are scoring the ball, they can’t play defense all the time. I’m a young guy with all the legs, so I’m going to come and play some defense.”
It is music to Knicks’ fans ears, but Shumpert still was a controversial pick, as outgoing president Donnie Walsh selected him over the higher-rated defensive forward/LeBron James-stopper Chris Singleton. The decision was made because Singleton plays Carmelo Anthony’s and Amar’e Stoudemire’s positions. The 6-foot-9 Singleton was taken at 18 by Washington after the Knicks.
Singleton admitted after his Knicks workout he shot poorly, but one source said there were “energy issues,” too. The source added Shumpert’s workout “was the best I’ve seen in 10 years.”
“I’m all smiles,” Shumpert said. “This can’t be life. This can’t be real.”
Shumpert said he felt he and the Knicks’ coaching staff “clicked right away.”
“It’s the coach, the history, the city,” Shumpert said. “Being able to learn from those veteran guys in Chauncey [Billups], Stoudemire and Carmelo, that’s an opportunity that doesn’t come every day.”
Because of his size, Shumpert can play both backcourt positions, and D’Antoni didn’t rule him out starting at shooting guard alongside Billups, supplanting Landry Fields.
“I would say there’s a chance.” D’Antoni said. “He can play beside Chauncey, beside Toney [Douglas], with Landry as a point guard. . . . He gives us an ability, [to decide] whoever’s playing well can play.”
Fans can deride D’Antoni for being a subpar defensive coach, but as pending interim president Glen Grunwald pointed out, you need your better defensive players to guard the great ones.
“This will help,” D’Antoni said of a Knicks defense that allowed 107 ppg. “His athleticism gives us a chance to put him on different guys. The league is becoming very athletic. . . . You [have] got to deal with Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade, Russell Westbrook, guys flying up and down. He gives you that athletic ability to be able to guard [those] people.”