Following an unprecedented rookie season in which former Wildcat Allonzo Trier found success without being drafted, could there be trouble in the ‘Big Apple’?
When you lose games, the mood in the locker room isn’t a good one. For the New York Knicks, following a 17-65 season, it seems like the chemistry was off, and former Wildcat Allonzo Trier might be a part of that.
Printed in the New York Post today, it seems like things were not so great in the ‘Big Apple’ amidst the awful season. Well hey, when you lose 65 of 82 games, things shouldn’t be okay.
Arizona Wildcats
Coming in, it all seemed liked a great opportunity for former Wildcat standout Trier to make his mark. As we’re all familiar with by now, the rookie went un-drafted, and ended up playing on the worst team in the NBA this year.
Playing with a huge chip on his shoulder, he was set to prove that people in the NBA had it wrong about him. This year, the rookie finished the season averaging 10.9 points, with 3.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game.
That’s quite the production for someone who didn’t hear their name called come draft night.
He even had a career-high of 31-points in a loss to Houston earlier in the year.
Well, due to his stellar play this year, Trier even earned a two-year, $7 million contract, replacing the two-way contract he signed to begin the year.
Sounds all positive, right? Well, not exactly.
According the New York Post article, it appears Trier didn’t seem to make many friends this season, particularly with some of the veteran players.
Aptly named ‘IsoZo’ for his ability to create shots and find scoring opportunities, apparently the sort of one-on-one play style wasn’t what some teammates were too keen on.
According to the New York Post, there were a couple instances this year, where Trier ended up scoring the ball himself, rather than finding the open teammate. Naturally as veterans tend to do, they tried to put him in his place, trying to help him understand his role.
Based on one NBA source listed in the article, “His play on the court was cancerous… A lot of guys didn’t like the way he didn’t play team ball. He cared about himself too much. He looked guys off who were open.’’
A little harsh? Maybe. However, it’s really difficult to quantify if Trier’s more “selfish” play was really to the detriment of the team, especially when the Knicks were just not very good of a team overall.
Also, were those veterans really in a place to talk? Since 2014-15, the Knicks organization has gone just 126-284. Whatever those veterans have been doing, it wasn’t working.
As it stands, the Knicks have the space for two, max deals and will likely have the first pick in the NBA Draft, once the lottery happens. So, things are potentially on the up for the Knicks.
Here is a little recap from Trier’s 31-point game against the Rockets!
I’m certainly indifferent about the comments. While I understands rookies usually have to earn their stripes first, especially unproven ones, I do think Trier is a talent to needs to play aggressively to get his own. It’ll be interesting to watch how his career progresses. Bear Down, Arizona!