WASHINGTON _ It is easy to dismiss it as just the first preseason game. But as the Knicks spent the morning preparing for their exhibition opener against the Wizards at Capital One Arena the team already raised a number of questions.
Dennis Smith Jr. was sidelined with a strained lower back and while he and the Knicks continued to maintain it is a minor issue, he could not predict if he would be back for Friday's preseason home opener, also against the Wizards. And with Smith out, Knicks coach David Fizdale put out his first starting lineup and started the debate already.
Rookie RJ Barrett was in the lineup at shooting guard. But Elfrid Payton and Marcus Morris were in the starting lineup with Frank Ntilikina and Kevin Knox, the last two lottery picks before Barrett, coming off the bench. While you can make an argument for these moves _ allowing the younger players to learn and develop in a secondary role _ it also raises the same problems as a year ago, that the short-term players are being appeased at the sake of the future.
"All things are on the table," Fizdale said after the morning shootaround, noting that the lineups could shift in the preseason as he sees different combinations and how they fit together.
At point guard, this might not even be a question if Smith were healthy, but it is still puzzling why Fizdale would not give Ntilikina the ball and a starting role. Fizdale made a point of trying to prove to Ntilikina over the summer that he has confidence in him and when Ntilkina played with France's national team in the FIBA World Cup he displayed the confidence in himself on the floor that he has never seemed to have with the Knicks.
But it's not just confidence. The Knicks have to make a decision on Ntilikina with the deadline looming at the end of the month to pick up his rookie contract option for next season. With a free-agent market next summer that hardly excites, the relative bargain of a rookie deal on Ntilikina would seem to be an easy use of salary cap space as the 21-year-old tries to find his way in the league. Starting him might boost that elusive confidence or raise the trade value around the league if the Knicks decide they'd like to move on from him.
In Payton, the Knicks are putting the ball in the hands of a player who has played for four teams in five seasons and has just this season guaranteed on his contract.
Asked what he has seen in Payton, Fizdale said, "His competitiveness. He just has a serious competitive gene. He hates to lose. He's never out of a possession, offensively and defensively. He's always trying to figure out how he's going to win the possession. It just stands out to see that on the court.
"(I expect to see him) picking up as much as possible 94 feet. Pushing our pace. Filling up the stat sheets in different ways, rebounds, assists, steals, deflections. Getting into the paint for us, organizing the team. That's just the template for all of our point guards. I expect the same when I bring Frank in. He just picks up where Elfrid left off."
Knox is similarly still in a developmental phase, having been thrust into a primary role last season as a 19-year-old rookie. Morris is an established veteran who likely presents a better chance of winning now, which is a goal for the team after last year's 17-win season left them with the same draft lottery odds as the next four worst teams and couldn't entice any of the stars in free agency to even grant the Knicks a meeting.
"There's a chance (Knox) could start in the preseason again," Fizdale said. "Nothing is in stone yet. But he'll play a ton (Monday night). He and Marcus will eat up most of the minutes at small forward, but I'll also move him over to some (shooting guard) as well."
