Fizdale says Knicks' Tim Hardaway Jr. 'showed great leadership' after Friday's loss

Hardaway took the blame after Caris LeVert's game-winner

10/20/2018, 11:29 PM

After the Knicks lost to the Nets on Friday night, Tim Hardaway Jr. took responsibility for his role in the defeat -- and in doing so, he caught the attention of coach David Fizdale.

The 26-year-old Hardaway Jr. said he shot too much and acknowledged that he could have done a better job of defended Caris LeVert on the decisive game-clinching layup. Hardaway Jr. noted that LeVert kept going to the right and that he should have made the necessary adjustment.

Fizdale praised Hardaway Jr. for his accountability, even if he didn't necessarily think Hardaway Jr. was all to blame.

"I thought he should great leadership on his part to own the last possession defensively and also on how many shots he took," Fizdale said, according to Ian Begley of ESPN. "I really don't have a problem with his shot attempts. Brooklyn was doing a good job on Enes (Kanter) defensively and he stsarted slow."

Hardaway Jr., who is in the second year of his second stint with the Knicks, scored 31 points in the team's season-opening victory on Wednesday night and scored 29 in the loss to the Nets on Friday. He totaled six rebounds, five assists, and two steals in the opening game against Atlanta.

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