Iman Shumpert may not start for the Knicks

Iman Shumpert is part of the Knicks’ core, and as a young guy, he is viewed as an important piece going forward. He had some issues with his role during his rookie season, but it seems as if he will play the shooting guard with a little point guard mixed in. He is a defensive specialist, but his offense is improving as well. He tore his ACL during his rookie season, and he played while recovering from it last season. Joining Raymond Felton, Carmelo Anthony, and Tyson Chandler, Shumpert was assumed to be a starting player, but Mike Woodson says not so fast, according to the New York Daily News:

"Perhaps of more consequence is his place among players fighting for a starting role. Woodson made no guarantees that Shumpert would be able to reclaim his spot as the starting shooting guard and said that for now the only guaranteed starters are Carmelo Anthony, Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton, leaving J.R. Smith, Andrea Bargnani, Shumpert, Metta World Peace and others to battle for the remaining spots in training camp.“This is a competitive camp,” Woodson said following practice. “Anything can happen. Nothing has ever been set in stone. I’m not guaranteeing no spots. You have to go out and earn them.”Shumpert didn’t seem too bothered by that idea. For now, he’s just happy that his knee injuries aren’t acting up."

The Knicks have a lot of guys who can play multiple positions, so Mike Woodson will have to find roles for all these guys. Melo can play the 3 or the 4, Andrea Bargnani is being talked about as a small forward, and Metta World Peace can play 3 different positions. If Shumpert can play solid defense, and hit the 3 pointer (The Knicks offense thrives off of those), then he will probably start. As for now, Woodson is non-committal.

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