SALT LAKE CITY — Former New York Knicks guard Emmanuel Mudiay is heading to Utah, and he's excited about it.
In an interview with the New York Daily News, Mudiay says that he is ready to make the playoffs and learn from Jazz coach Quin Snyder.
"I’m kind of just tired of going back early into the summer, not knowing what to do with myself,” Mudiay told the Daily News. “I looked at it as an opportunity to just go learn, try to get as much knowledge as I can over there.”
Mudiay admits that he needs to work on the mental aspect of his game.
“I’ve been through some tough times a little bit, but it just made me who I am today. For me, it’s been mostly the mental aspect. Trying to get my head clear. As for the talent, I’ve always had faith and confidence in my talent," Mudiay said.
Mudiay sees parallels between how the Utah Jazz run their organization and how the San Antonio Spurs run theirs.
“(Utah) kind of runs everything like the Spurs. They’re their own type of Spurs team, so this year’s gonna be great," Mudiay said.
Mudiay, the seventh overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft, was selected by the Denver Nuggets. In his rookie season, Mudiay averaged 12.8 points per game. He was traded to the Knicks in 2017-18. Last season, Mudiay averaged 14.8 points, 3.9 asssits and 3.3 rebounds in 59 games.