When the 2019-20 season began, Dennis Smith Jr. and Elfrid Payton were expected to compete for time at point guard after they split the starting duties in the preseason. Neither opened the year in the New York Knicks’ starting lineup, given coach David Fizdale’s failed experiment with RJ Barrett, but the on-court time trended towards this duo afterward.
Five weeks later, neither are in the starting mix at point guard, with Frank Ntilikina‘s emergence in November. Payton has been out with a strained hamstring since the fourth game of the season, but Smith has returned for nine games since a death in the family.