Argentinian point guard Pablo Prigioni is set to make his NBA debut this season with the New York Knicks. It is not clear yet how he will fit into the rotation with the Knicks signing Jason Kidd and trading for Raymond Felton, but Prigioni feels confident this three-headed point guard tandem will help the Knicks get past the Jeremy Lin era.
“I think we have at that position everything,” Prigioni said. “Raymond can score more. Jason and [I] can run the team. I feel we have many options at that position. Fans will be happy and enjoy our game.”
“Jeremy is more a scorer. He likes to shoot more. I saw him play 10 games. I’m not this kind of player. I like the team to play good, pass the ball, find open shots. I like to play smart — if someone’s hot, pass the ball to him.’’
Prigioni could be just what the Knicks need. With all the weapons they have, they do not need a point guard who is always looking to score. They need someone who distributes well and runs an offense. I think the Rockets taking Lin off the Knicks’ hands was a blessing in disguise. Lin sells tickets but he was not the right guy to win games for their team, Prigioni could step in and fill that role.
We could be looking at… wait for it… a Prigioni-palooza to replace Lin-sanity!
Well, that is probably overdoing things a little. Right now Prigioni is going to be third on the depth chart and still has a lot of work to do to acclimate himself to the NBA, but you never know what can happen. Jason Kidd is way up there in years and injuries happen. In fact, it appears to be a curse to be a New York Knicks point guard. It was a huge run of injuries that led to Jeremy Lin getting playing time in the first place. Who is to say it will not happen for Prigioni?
Even though Pablo Prigioni will technically be called a rookie, he is 35 years old, so he has got a lot of experience under his belt. Will all his international playing time translate to NBA success? I guess we will see.
