New York Knicks: Iman Shumpert's Great Defense Lost in Jeremy Lin Madness

While Jeremy Lin has certainly earned the right to dominate the headlines of not only the New York Knicks, but the NBA as well, Iman Shumpert has been lost in the sauce and deserves some of the attention because of what the rookie has done so far this season.

When the Knicks put Shumpert at the point earlier this season, it was clear he was not the ideal option for New York. Now that Lin has come along and done incredible things, Shumpert has spent the majority of his time at the two.

And Shump has flourished in that role.

While his offensive numbers are still a work in progress, he is still averaging a very solid 10 points per game in his rookie season and has given the Knicks a boost off the bench. He's quickly proving that his all-around game is nothing to shake a stick at as well.

Shumpert is also averaging three assists and three rebounds per game.

But getting to his defensive prowess, Shumpert has shown that he is exactly what he was advertised as when he came out of college. The biggest thing we heard about Shumpert was how good he was defensively, with his long wingspan and tenacious defense.

He certainly hasn't disappointed, averaging two steals per game, which is good enough for top five in both average and overall steals as well. With more time on the floor, Shump could easily lead the league in the steals category.

The only play that was less important than Lin's game-winning shot against the Toronto Raptors was Shumpert's steal with the Knicks down by five in the closing minutes of the game. Shumpert got the huge steal, which led to a fastbreak dunk, cutting the deficit to three.

The Raptors could've easily ended the game on that possession and extended their lead to as much as eight, but Shumpert's steal helped avoid that. And don't forget the lockdown defense he played on Jose Calderon, who was killing New York until Shump guarded him in the fourth quarter.

As it stands now, Shumpert has developed into one of the better defensive guards in the entire NBA, and despite the spotlight dimming on the Knicks rookie, if he can continue to develop like this, I doubt he'd mind one bit.