LOS ANGELES — Even if Emmanuel Mudiay doesn’t end up with the Knicks, he still plans on picking Derek Fisher’s brain about being an NBA point guard.
Mudiay got a crash course in the triangle offense with Phil Jackson and had a sit-down dinner with Fisher during his visit with the Knicks this week. His conversation with Fisher left a lasting impression.
“He’s a real good person,” Mudiay said Thursday after a workout for the media run by his agent, Jason Martin, at 360 Health Club. “With him just coming out of the NBA, I feel like he could teach me a lot, whether I go to that team or not. Just him as a person, he just likes to help other people.”
Mudiay, 19, is projected to be a high lottery pick in the NBA draft on June 25 and some experts have him going to the Knicks at No. 4. The Congo native, who played high school basketball in Texas, competed as a professional this past season in China. His size (6-foot-5), athleticism, defense and potential playmaking ability have been touted by scouts.
How would those attributes fit into the triangle offense? Mudiay doesn’t envision that being a problem after working with Jackson on Tuesday in Westchester.
“I feel like I can adjust to any system, to any style of play,” he said. “I can play a half-court system, too. … [The triangle] is challenging, but I think the more you get into it, the more you learn it, the more you understand it.”
Mudiay said he grew up watching teams like Jackson’s Lakers and Bulls, but didn’t really know they were using the triangle offense until he got older. Jackson showed him specific things he did with those teams and he began to understand what it is all about, Mudiay said.
“It puts you in spots to be successful,” he said.
Mudiay also worked out for the Lakers over the weekend and has two more coming up with the 76ers and Timberwolves. He said during these workouts it’s hard to completely show his athleticism, but he feels like he did enough to impress.
“They both got the best out of me,” Mudiay said. “You always feel like you could do better, but I think I did pretty good. … They really just want to see how you fit into the system and how you shoot it and stuff like that.”
Mudiay, who also described himself as a big fan of Knicks assistant general manager Allan Houston, said Fisher spoke about being a first-year coach, how he’s still learning on the job and what kind of things he likes to run with the Knicks.
Most of all, though, Mudiay took out of the talk Fisher’s willingness to teach. And he plans on taking the former Lakers point guard up on the offer.
“He loves helping,” said Mudiay, who grew up a Lakers fan. “Why wouldn’t you want to learn [from him]? He’s got five championships. He’s a winner. He’s a proven winner.”