New York Knicks: Iman Shumpert's Emergence Will Save Team's Season

If the New York Knicks and their fans are going to look to one man most responsible for their team's turnaround, it's Iman Shumpert. He's the same man that will spark their success for the rest of the year. 

When Shumpert was out of the lineup, the Knicks were terrible. They weren't defending and weren't scoring anywhere near enough for an NBA team, let alone one that's driven by the offense. Since he's returned to action, the Knicks are 4-1, winning each of the last four games.

Over the four-game winning streak, the Knicks have averaged just under 95 points a game, allowing just over 85. That's not coincidental. 

Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News quoted coach Mike D'Antoni as saying that the team's fans need to be patient with the rookie guard. 

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"We’ve got to go a little slow...I know New York is not great at that. But we’ve got to go a little slower and make sure he’s cool and keeps (moving) his game forward. If he does that, then he will make a big impact."

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But this isn't a matter of the fans being patient. D'Antoni is right about that. Fans everywhere tend to be a little reactionary, especially in New York. But the Knicks need Shumpert on both sides of the ball. 

They need a guard that can help distribute the ball to offensive superstars Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire. Shumpert is that man, and he works well with both. 

Anthony slows the game down, but draws defenders to him. Shumpert is enough of an offensive weapon to take some of those defenders away from Carmelo, creating better matchups. 

As we've seen throughout his career, Stoudemire is better suited to get out and run. Shumpert's emergence can help with that. 

More important than any of that is what he does on defense. The Knicks now have a perimeter defender to go with Tyson Chandler in the paint. That means that they're not going to need to fly past 100 points to win games. 

This gives the Knicks the depth needed to sustain a great regular season, and also to win in the playoffs. 

D'Antoni may want to take it slow, but the Knicks are going to need strong play from Shumpert to be a real contender in the Eastern Conference this year. Fortunately, he's got the game to spark that kind of run.

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