National Basketball Association

New York Knicks Should Think About The Future With Rotations

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Sasha Vujacic may be good for the locker room and spot minutes, but the New York Knicks should think about the future when building the rotations.

When news broke on August 7th, 2015 that the New York Knicks had signed Sasha Vujacic, I was a bit confused. Vujacic had played two games in the NBA since 2011 and was already in his 30s.

With his former teammate as the head coach in Derek Fisher, and Phil Jackson running the show, the signing made some sense. Then the season came, and Vujacic seemed to be in the rotation. Last season, he ended up starting twenty-five games for the Knicks, playing fifteen minutes per game.

He offered little during his time on the court, and took away minutes from young Knicks players, including Jerian Grant. When Jeff Hornacek was hired as the coach and the Knicks made there flurry of offseason moves, I was relieved to see they had not brought Vujacic back.

Then, on July 16th, the Knicks re-signed Vujacic to a one-year deal.

After seeing the moves in the offseason, I did not expect Vujacic to see playing time this season. I expected Courtney Lee to start at shooting guard, and the guards off the bench would be some combo of Justin Holiday, Brandon Jennings, and one of the young guys like Chasson Randle or Ron Baker.

In the final preseason game in Brooklyn, coach Jeff Hornacek said he wanted to play his rotation like it was a regular season game. With Derrick Rose still not with the team and Jennings getting used to his sixth man role, Vujacic started at point guard.

It’s hard to believe Vujacic is still in the NBA, especially in a rotation of a team with postseason aspirations. He turns the ball over, isn’t the shooter he once was, and is a defensive liability.

There is no reason for Vujacic to be playing over a guy like Ron Baker.

Ron Baker was the biggest name the Knicks got out of this year’s draft class. Baker, a guard out of Wichita State, is on the bubble in terms of making the roster. At 23 years old, Baker has shown a veteran-like poise in the Summer League and preseason.

During the preseason game in Boston, Baker led the team with five assists that went along with zero turnovers. Baker had a better field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, more rebounds per game, and fewer turnovers per game than Sasha Vujacic in the preseason.

I will acknowledge the fact that Vujacic is a solid veteran presence who seems to be well-liked by his teammates. If you’re going to keep him on the roster, that’s fine, but make him the last man off the bench.

Ron Baker, Chasson Randle (when healthy), and Justin Holliday all deserve the minutes over him.