Portland Trail Blazers

Phil Jackson: 'I look for Arron [Afflalo] to be a leader'

Published Aug. 24, 2015 2:15 p.m. ET

foxsports

Arron Afflalo had a down season in 2014-15, splitting it between the Nuggets and the Trail Blazers, but Phil Jackson isn't too worried about that.

ESPN has published a series of interviews with the Knicks president, and during the latest edition, Jackson explains exactly why he expects the shooting guard to have a turnaround season for the Knicks, whom Afflalo signed with back in July:

Afflalo isn't too far removed from being a very good player in the NBA. There was a legitimate push for him to make the Eastern Conference All-Star team just two years ago, when he averaged 18.2 points per game and shot 43 percent from three for the Magic.

He signed a two-year, $16 million deal with the Knicks this offseason.

(h/t ESPN)

"Some NBA watchers have questioned whether or not Arron has anything left as he nears his 30th birthday, but I'm positive that he does. He has a gym in his Las Vegas home and he works out religiously. Actually, he's such a hard-worker that he holds his teammates accountable if they try to cut corners in any way. I look for Arron to be a leader on this team. He wanted us and we wanted him, so Arron and the Knicks is a very good match."