New York Knicks rookie guard Iman Shumpert tore his left ACL and lateral meniscus, and MRI revealed on Saturday. Shumpert is expected to miss 6-8 months following surgery, meaning that he will miss the rest of the Playoffs and also most of next season.
Shumpert is one of the best young defenders in the NBA and it will be a tough loss to overcome for the Knicks. He led the league in steal among all rookies and was also in the top 10 in that category among the entire NBA.
“It hurts your spirits when you see your best defensive player go down like that,” J.R. Smith said. “We have a lot of people and hopefully someone can step up for him.”
This now forces Knicks coach Mike Woodson to either start sophomore guard Landry Fields or the streaky shotting guard J.R Smith. There will be huge shoes to fill no matter who he decides to start.
(arc Serota/Getty Images)
Tweet
