New York Knicks Sign Former Villanova Star to Fill Point Guard Void

Getty Ryan Arcidiacono goes for a bucket against the Knicks' Wayne Ellington.

The New York Knicks have had a busy start to the year as they’ve acquired not one, but two new players that could factor into their rotation going forward.

Former Villanova standout Ryan Arcidiacono, who previously played for the Chicago Bulls the first four years of his NBA career, now finds himself on New York Knicks on 10-day contract to fill the now-gaping hole at point guard. This signing goes with the recent trade for Denzel Valentine.

Kemba Walker is dealing with a knee injury and Derrick Rose is out until at least February, so the team is suddenly very thin at the position. With Miles McBride being the only healthy point guard on the roster at the moment, this signing from the Knicks makes a lot of sense.

New Point Guard Arrives

On January 3, the Knicks announced the signing of Arcidiacono on the 10-day deal. He’s been playing with the Maine Celtics, formerly Maine Red Claws, the Boston Celtics’ G-League affiliate, and through six games with the team, he’s averaging 12.7 points, 8.0 assists, 5.7 rebounds and 1.33 steals per game.

Those are solid stats in the G-League, but his NBA averages are much lower. Of course, the former Villanova star doesn’t figure to be around for long, but instead, he’s providing an emergency boost to the team that’s very, very thin at point guard.

This will be an excellent opportunity for the former Bull to prove he still belongs in the league, but the reality is that it’s a steep hill for him to climb. Once Walker and Rose return, he doesn’t really have a way to fit with the team. Rookie Miles McBride fills the need for a young guard, but he didn’t get a ton of playing time even with Rose and Walker missing the loss to the Toronto Raptors.

10 days isn’t a ton of time in the NBA as that only gives a player a handful of games to prove they belong, but Avery Bradley has made the most of his opportunity with the Los Angeles Lakers, so perhaps Arcidiacono will be able to do the same thing.

Does He Have a Chance?

GettySomebody has to fill Derrick Rose’s shoes.

On paper, it doesn’t look like the newly signed point guard has a good shot of sticking around with the team in the future, but anything can happen.

His best season as an NBA player came in his second year with the Bulls where he put up 6.7 points per game to go along with 32 starts for the team. Outside of that, he’s left a lot to be desired, but perhaps a fresh start on a new team is what he needs. Being with the Knicks should get him some playing time, but it won’t last once the players start returning from COVID protocols and injury.

Fans hoping to see the former Villanova guard make it in the NBA with the Knicks shouldn’t hold their breath because there’s a low chance that he will stick around with the team.

The best-case scenario is he helps the Knicks come away with a victory or two while he’s on the team.

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