New York Knicks new point guard Emmanuel Mudiay finally speaks with his new team and reveals his excitement about the fresh opportunity.
Emmanuel Mudiay has arrived. In his first game as a guard for the New York Knicks, the former Nugget poured in 14 points on 5-for-14 from the floor while dishing out 10 assists and only committing two turnovers.
Despite the Knicks 121-113 loss to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday—Mudiay’s first with the squad—the 21-year-old kid says he’s excited, via Marc Berman of the New York Post.
“Definitely excited,” Mudiay said. “I almost thought I was going to be here three years ago, so the fact that I’m here now is definitely a good thing. I’m happy to be here. I wanted to be here.”
“It’s a new beginning. We’re young and try to grow in that aspect future-wise. Me and Frank have been talking a little bit as well. So excited to be around those guys and I think it’ll fun.”
Along with English, Mudiay speaks French, making the blend with Frank Ntilikina that much easier.
“It’s about to get better,” Mudiay said of his relationship with Ntilikina. “We’re going to grow together — at least that’s what I know is the plan right now. He’s 19. I’m 21. So we’re both kind of close in age. He speaks French. I speak French. It’s going to be fun, just trying to see how we feel each other out on the court.”
Three years ago, rumors were strong that Phil Jackson would select Mudiay with the fourth overall selection in the NBA Draft. Instead, it was Kristaps Porzingis. Now, Mudiay comes in with KP on the shelf for a significant period of time while knowing exactly how close he came to joining the Knickerbockers once prior.
“They didn’t make a mistake with the pick they had,” Mudiay quipped. “They got Kristaps, so that was a good pick. But the fact that I get a chance to play with this team again is definitely exciting.”
In three seasons with the Nuggets, Mudiay’s compiled a stat-line of 11.1 points on a porous .375 from the floor while contributing 4.3 dimes a game. His short career has been hardly Lottery Pick-worthy, so a second chance is something that he’s seemingly not taking lightly.
Despite the loss, it was a solid Knicks debut. Next up for Emmanuel Mudiay and the New York Knicks will be the 76ers in Philadelphia on Monday night.
