Austin Green (@LosCrossovers) on Mindaugas Kuzminskas

Matt Spendley: Do you think Kuzminskas will be a guy that can be relied on from three? Fran Fraschilla basically said he’s a bad shooter in his analysis.

Austin Green: 3-point shooting isn’t his best attribute, but he’s definitely not a bad shooter. He is streaky, though. Last year he shot 63/187 on 3s (33.6%) in 59 games (ACB and Euroleague combined). That’s not great obviously, but he had multiple games with 3–5 made 3s, and he was often Unicaja’s main offensive weapon. He won’t be the defense’s primary focus in NY, and his spot-up shooting numbers are great, per Synergy:

If he gets clean looks spotting up around pick-and-rolls and post-ups from NY’s primary scorers, he should shoot the ball well.

Matt: Pure three at this point, right? Could he potentially progress to become a stretch four?

Austin: He has the height and length to be a 4, but he’s not strong. That’s the thing that concerned most NBA scouts I’ve talked to about him: he hasn’t put on much muscle over the last 5 years, which may be an indictment on his work ethic. If he adds quite a bit of muscle with an NBA nutrition and strength program, he should be able to play some 4. And he can probably also play 4 this year depending on matchups since a lot of teams will be looking to put smaller guys at that spot.

Matt: I noticed a lot of his highlights are him taking defenders to the hoop and finishing strong. How’s his ball handling? Does he ever control the ball in a pick and roll situation?

Austin: He doesn’t have a great handle and he’s not going to create his own shot most of the time. He is pretty good at attacking close-outs, so you’ll see him get to the rim and finish some, especially if he has already knocked down a couple outside jumpers.

I think he’ll get most his points when he’s fed the ball on the move (he’s an excellent off-ball cutter) and on offensive rebounds. He has really good timing and rebounding instincts, and he feasted on tip-ins and put-backs in Europe. He won’t have a big athletic advantage in the NBA, but those non-physical qualities should still lead to some easy points inside.

Matt: I’m curious about him defensively. Fraschilla said he can defend multiple positions, but you’re on record saying that he could struggle. He seems pretty athletic, so is it a mental thing? Lack of understanding? Do you think playing with some good defenders could help him out, or do you think the complexity of NBA schemes could magnify those struggles?

Austin: I assume Fraschilla meant he can guard 3s and 4s when he said “multiple positions” but I’m even skeptical about that. He will be able to defend some guys for sure, but he’ll struggle against quick 3s and strong 4s.

I don’t think he’ll have much of a chance against good NBA guards. He puts in the effort, but he doesn’t get very low in his stance and he doesn’t have great defensive timing or instincts. I think if he has to switch onto a guard in a pick-and-roll or close-out on a good athlete, he’ll get torched.

On the positive side, he has long arms, which will help. And as I said, he does put in the effort. Maybe he can make some big improvements with good coaching and advice from guys like Noah.

Matt: Could he be a bench guy that they trot out there early in the season? He’s been playing professionally for long enough, so how refined is his game?

Austin: He should be able to contribute immediately. He’s 26 years old, he’s been playing in the Euroleague and ACB for a long time and he’s become a fixture on Lithuania’s national team (always one of the top 3–5 in the world).

I think he’ll do really well as an off-the-bench role player because of his versatility. He can spot up, cut, finish at the rim, finish in the mid-range, rebound and — as I said — defend some guys.

Also, everyone who interacts with him says he’s one of the nicest guys they’ve met, which I think is important. It’s like Porzingis — if you’re a nice, genuine dude, people will go out of their way to help you succeed.

Matt: Any nicknames Knicks fans should be aware of?

Austin: The only nickname I know of is Kuz (pronounced “cooz” like Bob Cousy). Not the most creative, but it saves you a shit load of Twitter characters, so that’s nice.