IMAN THE MAN: The poise and confidence shown by rookie point guard Iman Shumpert have not gone unnoticed by the Knicks in the early going this season. (Reuters)
Most rookies would be intimidated joining a team featuring Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire, much less being thrust right into the starting lineup. But the Knicks say Iman Shumpert isn’t ordinary but extraordinary, a draft night steal because of the confidence in his own abilities and the chip on his shoulder.
“He’s so poised as a rookie,” Anthony said. “You can’t say that about a lot of rookies. For him to come and fit right into what we have going on here, that’s big-time. That says a lot about him. One thing he doesn’t lack is confidence and I love that. There are times we feed off him.
“That’s his approach too. I want him to play with a chip on his shoulder, and go out and show everybody what he’s about. You can see it. In order for us to be successful, he’s a big part of this.’’
The Knicks, who play the 76ers tonight at Madison Square Garden, are 2-0 with Shumpert supplanting Toney Douglas at the point, the rookie bringing far more energy and long-armed defense than they had any right to expect from the No. 17 pick.
“Definitely,” Tyson Chandler said, “because I watched a lot of guys go early in the draft and to me he’s displayed the most confidence out of any guard besides the No. 1 pick [Kyrie Irving]. He plays with great pace. As far as the guard position, I haven’t seen anybody with as much confidence.
“It can be intimidating coming into the league and playing with guys that are already established. He came in and believed in himself from Day 1. When you believe in yourself, you demand respect from veterans … He’s already exceeded the expectations anybody had for him.’’
Anthony was right about Shumpert using both his overlooked status before the draft and some of the negative post-draft comments that followed as motivation.
“Oh, yeah,’’ Shumpert said. “My brother and my father, they did a lot of watching all that stuff. They would text me, ‘they said this,’ or ‘they said that.’ I know what was said. I use it as motivation.”
Despite cramping up in three of his five games, the rookie is a combined plus-28 over the Knicks’ last four games, third-best on the team behind Anthony (31) and Stoudemire (30) according to the Elias Sports Bureau. He’s also coming off a 16-point, six-rebound, four-assist performance against the Bobcats on Monday.
“[Anthony and Stoudemire] tell me to be aggressive all the time,” Shumpert said. “It makes it easier, but I wouldn’t play un-aggressive if they didn’t say it — that’s just how I play.’’
“When you have a 6-foot-5, 220-pound ferocious strong defender like that and Tyson in the back,” Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni said, “it really shores up a lot of stuff.
“We didn’t know [he’d start]. It’s a surprise because he is a rookie, and he’s starting for a team with a lot of veterans. He’s got their respect, and that’s not easy to do. But we’ve just got to go a little slower — I know New York’s not great at that — and make sure he keeps progressing. If he does, he’ll make a big impact.’’