Sorry for the lack of game thread last night, folks. As you, I am sure, noticed, the site had some issues last night.
Anyhow, I figured we should have a new thread either way, so let’s go with SNY.com’s Coby Green on the inevitable move of Elfrid Payton to the starting lineup:
As the Knicks continue to figure out their point guard rotation this season, Mike Miller made his first adjustment to the starting lineup since taking over as head coach.
Elfrid Payton got the nod at the one spot for the Knicks Saturday night when they faced the Bucks at Madison Square Garden, a spot that for a majority of the season had gone to Frank Ntilikina.
Ironically enough, Payton had actually one the starting spot in training camp to start the season, but got injured just a few games in, leading to Ntilikina being inserted into the lineup thereafter.
In Saturday night’s blowout loss to the Bucks, Payton put up just six points on 3-of-7 shooting in 27 minutes, but that wasn’t the selling point of his night for Miller.
“Well we go back and kind of look and Elfrid had 10 assists and two turnovers,” Miller said at the post game press conference. “And so the one thing we’ve seen him do consistently here as he’s come back from his injury is he’s helping other people, and you have to have that facilitator and that guy that does it, and he’s taken that role and he’s done a very good job with it.”
“We’ll have to take a look and see what is best for out group,” Miller added when asked if Payton will start for the Knicks going forward. “We’re going to look at this film and see where we felt like our strengths were and take a look at it, like we’ve always been doing. But he’s been playing very consistently, he really has.”
Ntilikina went from the starter to fourth in the guard rotation behind Payton, Smith Jr. and Trier.