Alexey Shved impressed Phil Jackson, but not enough to net him the money he wanted to stay in New York.
In the latest sitdown with author Charley Rosen, the Knicks president shares his thoughts on Shved, the Russian who impressed in an otherwise gloomy Knicks season. While calling Shved “a pleasant surprise,” Jackson also offers his critiques on the 26-year-old guard.
“You never know what he’s going to do every time he has the ball, but he’s tricky when he gets to the hoop and he’s an outstanding interior passer,” Jackson tells Rosen. “He’s an erratic shooter because his release is a little low, so most of his misses are front-rimmers. Also, he’s not very strong so the slightest bump can derail him. It’ll be up to him how hard he wants to work on his strength during the offseason. But he’s certainly a welcome addition.”
Shved recently inked a three-year, $10.2 millon deal with Russian basketball team Khimki Moscow. And the Knicks recently signed former Lakers guard Sasha Vujacic to play the guard role that Shved filled briefly last season.
Jackson also explains why two other Knicks free agents, Jason Smith and Shane Larkin, didn’t return. On Smith, who signed a one-year, $4.5 million deal with the Magic in the offseason, Jackson says: “You can tell by his demeanor that he’s not happy coming off the bench. He was pressed into a starter’s role because Andrea [Bargnani] was out, but since he’s been coming off the bench, Jason hasn’t been shooting well and is much less active on defense.”
Jackson did say Larkin’s play improved, but remained critical of the point guard’s inability to feed the pivot properly. Larkin signed with the Nets in the offseason.