As they established their roster this season, the Knicks seemingly went with the trend: form your own “Big Three.”
Amar’e Stoudemire, Carmelo Anthony, and Tyson Chandler were brought together in New York with the highest hopes of contention. But despite how much star power a team seems to have, sometimes depth triumphs all as role players provide a boost.
No team has learned that better than the Knicks this season, who have seen their two biggest surprises come in the form of Jeremy Lin and Steve Novak.
Lin and Novak were both unknown talents around the NBA until this season. By now, everyone knows the story of LINsanity; Lin has beaten the odds as an undrafted guard out of Harvard. For the 27-year-old Novak, the Knicks are his fifth team in six seasons.
Both players have surely benefited from the bright lights of New York City, shinning on the biggest stage in “The World’s Most Famous Arena.” Furthermore, it’s obvious both Lin and Novak have seen an elevation in their games from playing in Coach Mike D’Antoni’s offense. The Knicks were in desperate need of a playmaking point guard to orchestrate the offense. In came Lin. After putting a bigger focus on defense, the team had also seemed to lack its signature shooting touch from long-range. In came Novak.
The two unlikely heroes have come up big for the Knicks, more so than anyone could have imagined. But how and why did it take so long for these uncovered gems to be discovered?
Spurs guard and Long Island native Danny Green, someone experiencing quite the breakout season of his own, played with both Lin and Novak on the same D-League squad last season (the Reno Bighorns). After their stint together, what does Green think of their bursts onto the NBA scene?
“I think it’s all about timing and the right situation for some guys,” Green told Knicks Journal. “Jeremy’s always been what he is, which is pretty good. He was good in the D-League too, so I don’t think his game has changed much. He’s gotten an opportunity in the system that he’s in, and I think it fits him perfectly.
Green continued, “Jeremy and Steve are guys who have gotten to shine offensively. You need to find an offensive system where you fit. Defensively, players can work on their game and improve some, but offensively you need to find the right place for you.
“Steve’s always been a great shooter from deep. Everybody knows that, but he needs guys to get him the ball quickly while he’s open. On the other hand, Jeremy is deceitfully athletic and he’s quicker than most people think. He’s a scoring point guard who can get to the basket, but can also be crafty when he wants to get his teammates the ball too. Coach Mike D’Antoni’s offense obviously has allowed them both to play really well.”
Though Novak’s stint in the D-League was short, his breakout game was a 21 point performance in which Lin scored 17 points and dished out 9 assists. Needless to say, the Bighorns won, and Green added 15 points of his own. It’s clear that then and now, Lin and Novak feed off each other’s energy and talent.
Green praised the D-League for giving him an opportunity to not only play more and hone his skills, but also prepare him for a new role. Being asked to take on a more dominant scoring role made him more capable of taking on a new challenge this season, filling in for the injured Manu Ginobili on the Spurs.
Green, Lin, and Novak obviously all had chances to produce in the D-League, which is something Green is grateful for. At the same time, he feels even more privileged to be having a breakout season, along with his two former teammates.
“It’s all time and opportunity with this league,” he said. “Some guys get it, and some guys don’t. Everything can be taken away from you at any given moment, so you better work at it and appreciate it each and every day. Anything can drastically change in even a matter of 24 hours, as evidenced with Jeremy, Steve, and myself. You have to stay ready.”
With all three players continuing to make crucial impacts on their respective teams, look for their breakout seasons to continue.
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