Patrick Ewing Jr. Signs with Knicks: Can It Really Be Like Father Like Son?

NEW YORK—The New York Knicks signed a familiar face and a face that brought back memories a decade ago. They signed Patrick Ewing Jr., again. As a start out of Georgetown, the Knicks signed him to a deal. Terms of the deal were not announced, according to the reports.

Ewing Jr. was drafted by the Sacramento Kings as the 43rd overall pick of the 2008 NBA Draft. After a series of transactions, Ewing Jr. was acquired by a team where his father became a star: The New York Knicks. However, he would play in the Development League and he missed all of last season due to injuries.

During this year’s Summer League with New York, Ewing Jr. averaged 4.8 points per game. The Knicks look to give him another shot and hope to develop him into a hopeful star like his father once was, who is now an assistant coach for the Orlando Magic and making Dwight Howard into a star.

The more elder Ewing would have a Hall-of-Fame career, most notably with the Knicks and ended his career with the Seattle SuperSonics and the Magic. He would also be elected as an eleven-time All-Star. In my opinion, Ewing stands as one of the Top 20 players in the history of the National Basketball Association. I also rank him the number one player to never win a ring.

The signing of Ewing Jr. brings the Knicks’ roster to 15 players, which is the maximum. With this, New York’s roster is all set and ready for the regular season on paper.

But it brings to a prediction: Can the Knicks make Ewing Jr. develop like his father? Can the “Father Like Son” scenario really work here in Madison Square Garden Arena? It’s a really good possibility. Ewing Jr. is raw and has only been in the NBA for two years. For real, he is actually entering his second year of professional basketball.

Playing with the Knicks is a great way to start off. The 26-year-old can make a difference, despite his small size at power forward: 6’8″ and 240 pounds. He has great athleticism. Now it most probably will be for sure that he won’t be a Hall-of-Famer and not develop into what his father was, unless if there was some sudden miracle. But he can be an important contributor and maybe one of the best bench players. A Sixth Man of the Year award sometime in his career could definitely be in the making.

Who knows? Maybe he can be one of the Top 100 players of all-time. Maybe he can go as far as Top-50. Ewing Jr. really does bring a lot of hope, however. When he played the D-League Knicks’ affiliate, the Reno Bighorns, Ewing Jr. flourished with 16.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 30 games playing with them.

Ewing Jr. could really be something special in my opinion. I like his chances. But right now, it’s too early to tell and I am getting ahead of myself.

But there is hope. And a lot of it.