The New York Knicks signed Thanasis Antetokounmpo to a 10-day contract last week and the young prospect made his NBA debut for the team on Friday.
Antetokounmpo, who is the older brother of Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, was signed to a deal and played against the Phoenix Suns for his first taste of NBA action. The Knicks made the addition with Carmelo Anthony dealing with some knee soreness and now Antetokounmpo will get the chance to play off the bench for the team. Antetokounmpo was originally a second round pick in 2014 for the Knicks and has been playing with the Knicks D-League affiliate in Westchester.
Antetokounmpo made his NBA debut against the Phoenix Suns on Friday and played two minutes for the Knicks, scoring two points on one shot attempt. Antetokounmpo played on Sunday against the Warriors and saw four minutes of action, scoring four points on two shots and adding one rebound on defense. Antetokounmpo may not get a ton of minutes over the next week or two for the Knicks, but the team is hoping that the experience will help him in the long run.
Antetokounmpo has the chance to develop into a solid role player and he has shown some strong defensive skills while playing for Westchester in the D-League. Antetokounmpo had been averaging 10 points and 4.3 rebounds per game for Westchester before being signed to a 10-day contract. Antetokounmpo became an option with Anthony dealing with knee soreness and Cleanthony Early still coming back from a gunshot injury.
The Knicks have also been mentioned in some trade talk this season, as players like Brandon Jennings and Jeff Teague have come up as potential targets. As things stand now it looks like the Knicks will not be major players at the deadline, but that could change over the next couple weeks. According to the New York Post, the Knicks have talked with the Atlanta Hawks about a potential deal for Jeff Teague, but the sides are not close to making anything happen.
The Knicks reportedly are interested in upgrading their backcourt and both Teague and Jennings could be targets at the deadline. The Knicks do not have much to offer in trades and adding a third team to a deal for Teague could be an option if the Knicks want to acquire the point guard. Phil Jackson likely will not look at giving up young players or draft picks as the Knicks continue to try and build a winning team.