Geoff Burke-US PRESSWIRE
When Jason Kidd chose to sign with the New York Knicks over the Dallas Mavericks, he thought he was going to be playing point guard, but injuries could force a potential position change.
J.R. Smith is currently the only healthy shooting guard with a guaranteed contract on the Knicks roster, with both Iman Shumpert and Ronnie Brewer recovering from knee surgery. Brewer might be back in time for the start of the regular season, Shumpert is expected to be out until at least midseason and the Knicks prefer to keep Smith as their sixth man.
In their preseason opener against the Washington Wizards, the Knicks gave their training camp roster invitee Mychel Thompson the start at shooting guard, but he did nothing to suggest the Knicks should give him a guaranteed roster spot.
Thompson played 16 minutes, posting four rebounds and making two free throws for his only points. He missed all five of his shots from the field, including four three-pointers.
Smith, however, had a great night off of the bench with 20 points, six assists and four rebounds. He made eight of his 11 shots from the field.
As for Kidd, he showed he has the ability to play off the ball, offensively and defensively at during the preseason game. He has a huge basketball IQ, quick hands, long-range shooting ability and the size at six-foot-four, 210 pounds to potentially become a shooting guard.
Former Knicks’ point guard Chauncey Billups made a successful transition from to shooting guard with the Los Angeles Clippers last year before suffering a season-ending injury. Both Billups and Kidd are known for their three-point shooting and Kidd is third all-time with 1,874 three-pointers made, behind Ray Allen and Reggie Miller.
If the Knicks were to move Kidd to the shooting guard position, Pablo Prigioni would become the backup point guard to Raymond Felton. The 35-year old Prigioni is making his NBA-debut this season after playing his entire career internationally, including the Argentina Olympic team.
Prigioni played 21 minutes against the Wizards, finishing with 14 points, four assists and two steals. He adjusted well to the faster pace of the NBA after playing more physical, half-court style games overseas.
