Courtney Lee is headed to the minors.
The 33-year-old shooting guard, who returned three games ago from a mysterious, season-long neck injury, has been assigned to the G League’s Westchester Knicks to play against the Lakeland Magic on Wednesday so he can get big minutes.
Lee admitted over the weekend he’s in preseason form, and it will take him a while to get acclimated. David Fizdale doesn’t have big minutes for Lee in the Knicks’ ultra-crowded backcourt, especially with a desire to pump up Frank Ntilikina.
Fizdale said he would never allow his young prospects — Mitchell Robinson, Kevin Knox and Ntilikina — to try a game in the G League when their minutes were reduced, feeling he’d rather have them under his supervision. Before last season, the Knicks hired Craig Robinson as player developmental director to upgrade the prestige of their G League program.
Lee floated the idea of getting G League minutes after acknowledging Friday his conditioning issue.
“It’s going to take a while to get reactivated to game-speed, game-like situations,” Lee said before the Brooklyn-Charlotte back-to-back. “It’ll probably take couple of weeks to get back a rhythm and feel chemistry with the guys. I’ve been thrown out there with those guys and trying to play on the fly. Next couple of weeks, I’ll start to feel comfortable out there.”
Lee has played 16 minutes the past two outings. The Knicks said he will miss Wednesday’s game in Cleveland and rejoin the team in Charlotte.
The Knicks are in a tough spot because they would love to get Lee back in form to up his trade value. Lee has two years and $25 million left on his pact, and the Knicks are in full-throttle rebuilding mode.
Lee missed all five preseason games and the first 24 regular-season contests. He’s played in three games so far and is shooting 28.6 percent in 26 minutes.
When right, Lee could be a viable addition to a playoff contender. The Western Kentucky product posted career numbers last season (12 ppg, 40.1 3-point percentage, 52 straight free-throw makes).