Enes Kanter, acquired in the deal for Carmelo Anthony, could be the Knicks‘ starting center when the season begins. The former Thunder big man has been an effective scorer and offensive rebounder but his lack of defensive ability could hurt his case, Marc Berman of the New York Post writes.
Kanter, 25, is in a three-man competition for the center job along with Willy Hernangomez and Joakim Noah. But there are only two people competing for the opening night job as Noah will be suspended 12 games due violating the NBA’s drug program. Kanter said he has lost 37 pounds since June to become quicker on defense and coach Jeff Hornacek — who acknowledged Kanter’s defensive shortcomings — believes his new center has shown improvements.
“The game has slowed down for him — I think he’s become better defensively on what teams are trying to do,’’ Hornacek said. “He didn’t play at Kentucky, [so] he was pretty raw his first year. Now he’s been around the league. He’s one of the best [true] centers in this league right now.’’
Kanter said he’s happy in New York and prepared for life after Oklahoma City. The Knicks open the season against the Thunder in OKC on October 19.
Check out other news around the Atlantic Division below:
- Noah understands he will likely be a bench player for most of the season but feels he can still make an impact, Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News writes.
- Jahlil Okafor slimmed down by 20 pounds, improved his mid-range shooting, and his defense but the Sixers will likely trade their reserve center. Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes that keeping Okafor, for now, is smart since he is not drawing much value on the market and can still be productive.
- Joel Embiid, who has yet to play in a preseason game, is one of the Sixers’ most valuable assets. As Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes, the team’s future as a winning franchise could hinge on whether or not Embiid gets healthy enough to become a fixture in the lineup.
I’m not sure if the sixers should move Okafur considering the injury history of Embiid. If he truly is committed based on the weight loss and effort on defense, he could prove to be a valuable asset as the rest of the team performs. As good as Embiid looks when he’s on the floor, they need a plan B just in case.
He stinks. He’s a back to the basket specialist who plays crappy defense. Trade him for whatever we can get as soon as possible.