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With training camp set to begin near the end of this month, let's take a look at what might be the New York Knicks' best training camp battle to come: Langston Galloway versus Jerian Grant. Phil Jackson even predicted as much in his long chat with friend Charley Rosen. "I anticipate his competing with Langston Galloway for playing time," Jackson said. Jose Calderon is expected to be the starting point guard, provided he can stay healthy. Galloway and Grant will be vying for minutes as the backup and both could also see minutes at shooting guard since the triangle offense utilizes combo guards. Galloway is more of a point guard out of the two but his edge is that he has a year in the system under his belt. Galloway is a fighter who had to work hard to get to where he is. Taking advantage of the playing time once the roster was stripped down, Galloway played in 45 games last season, averaging 11.8 points, 3.3 assists and 4.2 rebounds in 32.4 minutes a game. He scored 20 or more points on five different occasions, displaying an ability to get to the rim and score.  But Galloway won't play as many minutes this season with the Knicks' additions in the offseason. And the Knicks will want to see what they got in Grant, one of their two first-round picks.
The Notre Dame point guard has explosive leaping ability and can shoot although he can be a streaky shooter. "He knows the game and has a certain flair for it," Jackson said. "He's quick, has 3-point range, knows how to pass, can break a defense down with his handle, knows how to get through screens and is comfortable getting people involved on offense." The Knicks and Jackson also love Grant's pedigree and mentality. Grant is the son of former Bullet Harvey Grant and nephew of former Bull Horace Grant. So he grew up around pro basketball. And he comes to the Knicks as NBA-ready as any player in the draft since he came out as a senior. While Galloway may have the initial edge in experience in the triangle and in the NBA, Grant has the advantage in height at 6-foot-5 to Galloway's 6-2 stature. Grant is a more dynamic and offensively explosive player and could see minutes at shooting guard if needed. But even if Uncle Horace won titles in the triangle and can provide invaluable knowledge, Grant will need time to digest the offense and it could take a while. That benefits Galloway. During summer league in Vegas, Derek Fisher played Galloway an average of 31.3 minutes a game while Grant logged 27.4 minutes per game. Grant, though, played in five games while Galloway appeared in four. Grant averaged 11.8 points, 4.8 assists, 3.2 rebounds and 1.6 steals. He also shot 39.1 percent overall and made 50 percent of his 3-point attempts. Galloway did not shoot as well, making 32.3 percent of his shots and just 25 percent from behind the arc. But he rebounded better with an average of 5.5 boards to go with 9.8 points, 1.5 assists and 1.0 steals a game. We'll have to see what both can do defensively. If Grant can stay in front of point guards and shooting guards, that would be big. The Knicks clearly are looking to take a major leap forward defensively this season. Their numbers were close in summer league. And things might be pretty close between them in camp in what should be the best camp battle for the Knicks and Fisher this fall. In the end, the Knicks will want to see what they have in Grant. They simply have more invested in Grant, and Jackson will want to see what he has in the future of his franchise and make sure that his prospects are developed correctly and properly. But Galloway showed some moxie last season and got a taste of what he can do with opportunity. He won't back down from this challenge and neither will Grant. It should be an interesting Knicks camp.
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