Henry Ellenson has signed a 10-day contract with the Knicks, per Shams Charania.
Forward Henry Ellenson plans to sign a 10-day contract with the New York Knicks, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 20, 2019
Henrik Lundqvist Ellenson (his full name, according to sources) was drafted 18th overall by the Detroit Pistons in 2016, where he played in 59 games over the last three years. He averaged 3.8 points and 2.2 rebounds on .364 shooting in that time.
He has, however, absolutely torn up the G-League when he’s been there, and the Knicks seem to have a knack (shoutout Clyde) for transitioning guys well from the G-League to the NBA. In eight games this year for the Grand Rapids Drive, Ellenson averaged a robust 19.1 points and 11.8 rebounds on a not-so-robust 40.4 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from three.
Ellenson’s DraftExpress (RIP) profile from 2016 paints a picture of a guy that, if he ever reached his potential as a floor-spacing big, could be pretty useful in the league:
Ellenson shows potential as a perimeter shooter, knocking down 30 3-pointers in 33 games this season, but is not quite there yet in terms of consistency, hitting just 29% of his attempts. Looking at his shooting mechanics, and the fact that he knocked down 75% of his free throw attempts, it’s not difficult to envision him becoming an effective floor spacing big man in time, as his streakiness as a shooter seemed to have more to do with shot-selection than any concerns about his natural ability.
What separates Ellenson from most big men is the skill-level he demonstrates with the ball in his hands. He’s extremely impressive with his ability to put the ball on the floor, not just when grabbing a defensive rebound and going coast to coast, but also in the half-court, using shot-fakes, advanced ball-handling moves and body control to create his own shot and get to the rim.
So, yeah. I’d be lying if I said I knew much more than that about Mr. Ellenson. He definitely has an impressive highlight film from the Summer League!
Welcome to the Knicks, Henry! Thanks for giving us something to talk about before play resumes on Friday.