Elfrid Payton likely drawing start for Knicks Friday
New York Knicks point guard Elfrid Payton will likely be moved into the starting lineup for Friday's game against the Brooklyn Nets, per comments from head coach David Fizdale.
"Elfrid absolutely put his foot forward, took it to heart and ramped up the competition," Fizdale said following Wednesday's season opener. "Like I said, I'm going to keep an open mind of this and whoever fights their way out of the pile, that's who's going to get the nod." Allonzo Trier drew the start at point guard Wednesday, but logged just 6.9 not nice minutes. Payton, meanwhile, scored 11 points (4-of-9 field goals, 2-of-2 free throws) with 2 rebounds, 8 assists, 5 steals, and 1 3-pointer off the bench. Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina also underwhelmed, so Payton could potentially secure the starting job with a strong start to the season.
Payton scored 40.4 FanDuel points on Wednesday. numberFire's models project him for 12.3 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.3 steals, and 0.7 triples per contest over the rest of the season.
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