New York Knicks: Lance Thomas shining early for Knicks
Thomas has improved nearly every facet of his game.
Updated December 17, 2015.
NEW YORK -- Late in the third quarter of the
New York Knicks' 107-102 win over Minnesota Wednesday night, Lance Thomas sprinted back on defense, chasing, and eventually catching, T'Wolves forward Shabazz Muhammad in transition.
As Muhammad, one of Minnesota's leading fast break scorers, put his head down to attack the basket, Thomas matched him stride-for-stride, bodied-up and plucked the ball from the attacker's hands as the two headed out of bounds.
"I take defense very seriously," Thomas told About.com Sports, noting his
"locked-in" defensive mindset . "I take pride in making sure I get a stop. I had a chance with my ability to make a play, and I did."
Sometimes, those plays don't show on the box score.
Thomas wasn't rewarded with a steal, and Minnesota got the ball back, but it's that kind of hustle play that makes him invaluable to the Knicks roster this season.
"Our guys are continuing to embrace the fact that your stat line won't make the difference every night," Knicks head coach Derek Fisher said after the game.
Thomas, who New York first acquired as part of last season's deal that sent Iman Shumpert and J.R.
Smith to Cleveland, is averaging 7.8 points, 1.9 rebounds per game, but his impact as a defender and a much improved perimeter shooter seeps through the stat sheet. Regularly one of the first players off the bench in Fisher's rotation, Thomas has scored in double-figures in seven of New York's last ten games. He scored 14 points on five-of-10 shooting in Wednesday's win, and the three ball he shied away from early in his career has become the staple of his offense.
Thomas has made at least one three-pointer in eight of New York's last ten games. He is shooting 37.5 percent from downtown this year and has nearly made the same amount of threes this season (18) as he has attempted (24) throughout the remainder of his four-year career.
Fisher attributed Thomas' success to his commitment to becoming a better player over the summer.
"I think Lance took [training over the summer] seriously," he said. "He made some significant improvements over the summer, and it's paying off for him in the game."
"It doesn't mean he's playing perfect. Some nights he makes mistakes.
His effort has always been there, never been a question, but I think he's starting to put together other facets of his game. And it's helping us to win a little bit."
That effort -- the same reason Thomas had been pegged a "Fisher favorite" since joining the Knicks -- has been there since he first picked up a basketball.
"I love to compete," Thomas told About.com Sports. "If it wasn't for my love of competition, I probably wouldn't be playing this game. I can't go into something not giving it my all."
Thomas went undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft after four seasons with the Duke Blue Devils. He spent a season-and-a-half in the Development League with the Austin Toros before signing with the New Orleans Pelicans in 2011. As one of few shining lights on last season's team that posted a franchise-worst 17-65 record, the four-year forward was re-signed to a one-year deal worth $1.6 million over the summer.
Thomas has gradually worked his way to becoming the serviceable NBA player he is today, and though he improved this summer, he acknowledged he still has room to grow his game.
"[This summer], I took it to another level," he said. "I got quicker, faster, stronger. I worker on shooting, ball-handling, and I just gradually got better. And I feel like I can get even better if I continue to keep up my work.
"I'm shooting it well, but I can shoot it better. I'm handling the ball, but I can handle the ball better. I can make better decisions on offense. I can be a better passer. I can rebound better, so there's a lot of things I can get better at, I just have to gradually get better."
Link:
FISHER: Lance Thomas' summer work "paying off"
More minutes for Lance.
) 2nd round picks.
. Also, @Playa With Tha Passport you've been hating on Grant who doesn't get to play and make mistakes like Lance has all season stop it
!!!
