J.R. Smith may want to move into a starters role for the Knicks this season but head coach Mike Woodson has shot that idea down claiming that he prefers to see the shooting guard come off the bench. Woodson believes Smith;s offensive firepower off the bench gives the Knicks an edge when the second unit is out on the floor.
“Absolutely,” Woodson said on Tuesday. “Everybody can’t start. I’ve got a nice mixture of guys in that starting unit from an offensive standpoint and I have to have some offense coming off the bench as well.
“Like I told J.R., if he comes off (the bench), ‘Hey, there’s nothing wrong with that. Heck, he can be the best player coming off the bench in the league and perhaps win the Sixth Man Award. Hopefully, that parlays into a lot of wins and getting us to a championship round because at the end of the day that’s what we’re in it for.”
