Raymond Felton knows better than most others how to thrive as a designated guard while playing in the world’s most famous arena.
During his three seasons with the Knicks, Felton averaged 13.4 points per game and 6.6. assists, his best numbers with his seven NBA teams. SNY insider Ian Begley has named Begley the starting guard for his Knicks All-Decade Team, citing Felton’s importance to the 2012-13 Knicks, the best team the team has had in the past 20 years.
So when Felton joined Begley and Chris Williamson in the latest edition of The Putback, he was asked what advice he would give to Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina, two young point guards trying to orient themselves while playing under the lights of the New York City.
“Just trust, man. Trust yourself. Don’t get under the pressure, “Felton said in this week’s Putback Extra.” There’s a lot of pressure to play in New York. There’s a lot of pressure. New York fans really love basketball, they love their Knicks and If you don’t get up, they’ll let you know. There’s a lot of pressure. If you can’t stand it, and I’ve seen it hurt a lot of people in their careers.
“You have to be tough, you have to be confident and you have to get to work. You have to play hard. One thing I know New York fans love is people who play hard, who give their all. If you can’t take a shot, you’d better do something else on that court to help this team win or keep us in this match. “
Both Smith and Ntilikina showed flashes of why they were picks in the lottery, but neither player was consistently able to score at NBA level, leaving the Knicks a bit short staffed when it comes to scoring output. of the defense zone.