Cam Reddish received an opportunity to start Friday night for the Knicks, but he didn’t make the most of it.
With starting shooting guard Evan Fournier resting and Quentin Grimes sitting out his second straight game with a foot injury, Reddish missed six of seven shot attempts over 22 minutes in the Knicks’ 131-114 preseason win over the Pacers.
“He can, and I want all of our players to understand, you can play well without shooting well,” coach Tom Thibodeau said after the game. “His length, his athleticism, running the court, getting into the paint, I thought he had several good drives, and then, like, I want him to read. If there’s a collapse you’ve done your job, and now spray [the ball].
“I want to look at the film, but overall, I thought there were some real good things. You just gotta build each day. The hard thing is him building rhythm if he gets nicked up and he misses practice or misses a game, then you gotta restart. … You gotta get through all that stuff.”
Reddish was acquired from Atlanta for a first-round draft pick last January, but he totaled just 214 minutes in 15 appearances with the Knicks. The 6-foot-8 swingman likely will face similar difficulty cracking Thibodeau’s rotation this season.
“I was looking forward to [starting Friday] and I love the opportunity, but there wasn’t too much of a lead up to it,” said the 23-year-old Reddish, who left the previous game Tuesday with a sprained ankle. “I can score at all three levels and want to prove that I can defend as many positions as possible. I want to be active and vocal and do things outside of my comfort zone and personality. I am trying to talk more.
“The energy has been good, especially the second group getting up and down, getting up the floor. The chemistry has been great, and I am just trying to find my niche.”
Second-year guard Miles McBride had another impactful game off the bench, with six points on two made 3-pointers, as well as three assists, two blocked shots and a plus-16 rating in 21 minutes.
Asked if McBride is making his job tough to sort out minutes, Thibodeau replied: “No. No, it’s easy. People keep saying that, but that’s not the way this works. The way this works is when you’re on the floor and if you play well and the group performs well, you’re gonna determine who plays. But it has to be merit based.”
Center Jericho Sims had four points and six rebounds in 13 minutes after missing the preseason opener with a groin injury. … Ukrainian-born guard Svi Mykhailiuk hit two 3-pointers in the fourth quarter and finished with eight points.