In the early parts of the season, Isaiah Hicks and Luke Kornet saw the bulk of the playing time as the bigs in the Westchester Knicks’ frontcourt. Both proved to be two of top shot blockers in the G League. Kornet has shown his soft touch with his outside game, which made him a threat from deep. Hicks was effective in the post. He was getting out and knocking down jumpers, while also putting the ball on the floor and finishing at the basket.
As each one has taken on a role with the big league club as part of their two-way contract, more playing time has opened up for Adam Woodbury and Jordan Henriquez in Westchester.
Woodbury didn’t see much action early in the season, but his playing time picked up as the season went on. In his second month in Westchester, he saw double the amount of minutes compared to the first month of the season. With the increase in playing time, Woodbury relished the chance to really show what he could do.
“You just get more opportunities,” Woodbury said. “Since I’ve been here, my minutes have gone up little by little and this will be no different. It’s a little bit of a jump, but I’ve kind of stayed ready and I’ve wanted this. Now that I finally get a chance to show what I can do.”
With his increase in time on the court, he was able to showcase his aggressiveness on the glass and has had some solid defensive possessions in the past several games. Against the Windy City Bulls, he stopped a driving Tyler Harris on the way to the basket. He then stopped Harris at the basket a few minutes later. In seven games in March, the Iowa product averaged 9.4 points and 9.7 rebounds in 26.5 minutes per game while shooting 55% from the field. He recorded his first two double-doubles of the season in a three game stretch.
Like Woodbury, Henriquez has greatly benefited from more court time. He missed a month of action in the middle of the season, then came back and had a productive 10 point performance on 4-of-7 shooting from the field against the Delaware 87ers.
In a recent game against the Erie BayHawks, he swatted two shots and a block on John Gillon helped seal the game for Westchester. Henriquez has been active on the offensive end in the past several games, which includes him finishing with a strong dunk after drawing contact. The guards put him in a good position to score off layups, dunks, and has shown he can nail the jumper. The Westchester big had a strong outing against the Grand Rapids Drive where he posted nine points, six rebounds and three blocks in 15 minutes off the bench.
By having Woodbury and Henriquez step in with Isaiah Hicks and Luke Kornet cementing their spots in the NBA, Westchester has proven its concept of necessary depth. Woodbury and Henriquez have impacted the Knicks with the skills they possess, which is evident based off the production they have given in the past month.
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