Kenny Wooten has officially signed a 2-way deal with the New York Knickerbockers. His signing comes on the heels of Ivan Rabb being waived from the roster.
Now that he is here, what can we expect?
Wooten will definitely help anchor the defense, especially with Mitchell Robinson on the floor, provided that Mitch can stay out of foul trouble.
Having these two long, athletic ball hawks blocking everything that comes into the paint will give the guards a unique opportunity to actually guard the 3 point line and contest jump shooters without having to close out from 15ft away.
It’s unlikely that the Wooten/Robinson tandem will net anywhere close to 30-35 minutes per game, however if the two can stay on the court for 15mpg it will absolutely make a strong impact and give these Knicks a few more chances to win similar to the way they just beat the Heat.
Wooten will have one hell of a reputation to uphold coming into the league with all of the highlight dunks and blocks he is being tagged in on Twitter.
I am not as focused on his offense and I am his D. If he can be a taller Frank Ntilikina and shut down some bigs, I’m thrilled. Don’t get me wrong, if he ends up posting double digit points I’m also not sad, but the Knicks need defense and I’m hoping that Wooten gets some run and can showcase that to give the Knicks an edge.
It will undoubtedly take a few games to get comfortable and learn his teammates mannerisms but a positive that is coming out of this is that Westchester runs the same plays and schemes that the big club in Manhattan runs. Also having the former G-League coach running the show, Mike Miller, although never getting an opportunity to coach him directly should know how to manage the expectations of Wooten and make sure he can stay focused and locked in during his time on the court.
The kid is athletic as anyone in the league. This should be fun to watch.
