One of the most pleasant surprises for the New York Knicks during this NBA season is the fast development and presence of rookie and starting shooting guard Landry Fields. Fields was the Knicks 9th pick in the 2nd round and has filled a void quickly. As a rookie, he has started all 29 games for the Knicks so far this season. The Landry Fields jersey sales have really taken off and he looks to be the real deal in the Big Apple.
Fields is right around the league average in points per game (10.4) and assists per game while well above the league average in rebounds per game with 7.5 (no small feat for a rookie let alone a player at the shooting guard position). Fields comes from California where he played his High School basketball at Los Alamitos High School. He then attended Stanford University and made an immediate impact in the PAC 10.
His senior year at Stanford, he averaged 22 points per game and led the PAC-10 in scoring and rebounding even though playing mostly at the shooting guard and small forward positions. He got noticed by the right people and is now in the NBA.
Yet, he impressed NBA scouts not only with his every game play alone but his big game play as well – raising his scoring average to 25 points per game against top 25 opponents. But Fields was not just an athletic force. He also made 2010 PAC-10 All-Academic first team and was the 2010 PAC-10 scholar athlete. He really knows the game of basketball.
His play on the court has him currently ranked number 2, by ESPN, amongst potential rookie of the year candidates. He has an outstanding work ethic and is improving his skills in both scoring and as a defensive force game by game. He is definitely a rookie to keep your eye on. It will be interesting to see if he can beat out John Wall for the title.
