Amare Stoudemire does well in return

The New York Knicks had Amare Stoudemire back for the third preseason game. Stoudemire missed the previous two games with a left knee bruise.

Tonight Stoudemire showed signs of offensive life with an 8 of 11 shooting performance. The key thing here is that Stoudemire was able to hit his jump shot. Last season his jump shot was really inconsistent, but it seems that he may have his shooting touch again. His 18 points tonight were second highest behind Carmelo Anthony’s 24.

The downside to Stoudemire was his lack of defense. He really struggled to move his feet on that end of the floor and was beat defensively countless times. His defense was very poor last season, so this season that will remain a concern for him. Head Coach Mike Woodson got on Stoudemire during the game. That coaching should rub off and make Stoudemire a better defensive player.

This performance tonight is something Stoudemire can definitely build on. His inside game was very impressive and his 72% from the field was very solid for a guy playing in his first real game of the season. He will not play against the Celtics on Saturday night so expect him to return on Monday.