Toney Douglas Turning Heads Early in NBA Career
Nov 10 2009 6:08PM
Toney Douglas emerged from the shower following the Knicks narrow 95-93 loss to the Jazz on Monday only to find himself forced to navigate through a throng of reporters. After finally making it to his locker, he began to situate himself when a friendly voice called out over the 15 or so media members surrounding the rookie guard.
It was David Lee.
“Hey rook, hurry up,” he called out jokingly. “Don’t make them wait!”
Lee is the longest tenured Knick, and even he hasn’t seen a Knicks rookie have the kind of impact so soon in his NBA career like Douglas has had. In only his seventh career match, Douglas sparked new life into the Knicks, scoring a team and career-high 21 points while playing tenacious, lockdown defense. This effort came on the heels of an impressive 16 point outing the previous game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
“I saw him over the summer, so I am not surprised at all,” said teammate Wilson Chandler. “But I mean, I didn’t get a chance to play really as a rookie, and he’s come in and made a difference and is doing a good job. That’s cool to see, so yeah, I am impressed.”
Douglas has proven to be mature beyond his 23 years of age. He is a student of the game and prepares like a true professional. He watches countless hours of film and constantly strives to improve all aspects of his game.
“I always practice hard,” said the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder. “That’s one thing I learned in college. If you don’t practice hard, you’re gonna practice like you play. I make sure I always pick my energy up before practice and after practice to get shots up, and work on conditioning before games. I always feel like whenever I’m on the court I’m bringing something to the team.”
His intense work ethic isn’t just limited to the way he practices, but to the way he prepares himself for the game also.
“I watch a lot of film,” he said. “Like the night before (the Utah game), I watched (their last game) the whole night. I look for the guys I am gonna guard and see people’s tendencies and see what I can’t do and what I can do until I feel comfortable and know what to expect.
“Then on game day, I work out in the gym at the practice facility from 11 to 12, and then I get treatment and get in the whirlpool. Then I come here and get more treatment and work out with the coaches.”
While his style of play on the court and demeanor off of it might be that of a sage veteran, Douglas is still a rookie, and with that come certain “unwritten rites of passage.”
“We’ve got to carry around practice gear and get them breakfast when we are at hotels. It’s not hard, but we definitely do the rookie stuff.”
When it comes to these “rites of passage” as well as the other ups and downs of being a first year player in the NBA, Douglas is thankful to have fellow first round pick Jordan Hill and undrafted free agent Marcus Landry around to rely on.
“It feels good that I am not the only one,” he said with a smile on his face, looking in the direction of Hill and Landry’s locker. “We are facing adversity as a team, but also in the typical sense that rookies do, we are there for each other. Like if Jordan or Marcus is going through something I’ve already been through, you can be sure I will be there for them. That’s the best part of having two other rookies around. We can help each other out.”
In addition to his teammates, Douglas also leans on his older brother Harry, who is a star wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons.
“He’s a big brother so he’s not gonna tell me anything good!” joked Toney before getting more serious.
“But he stays on me like always and he does help me out. Even though he plays football it helps me out a lot having him and I can relate to it. He’s been through already what I’ve been going through and he’s always been there for me. Like when I was a sophomore in college, he is who really told me how important it is to be a student of the game.”
Douglas comes from a tight nit family. Even today, his parents travel to the majority of both of their sons’ games, and they too are another support system for the budding Knicks star.
“My parents have been to most of the road games, and they’re up here for all the games this week. They fly around, and if it is in the South they will drive. It’s great to see them up in the stands. They are being parents enjoying watching me play and the team play. Of course, parents are gonna say stuff like what you do well and what you do badly. But at the end of the day, they are just here enjoying their son playing.”
Even though he is surrounded by so many people who care for him and who he draws strength from, Douglas’ greatest attribute is his self motivation and determination.
“At the end of the day you’ve got to evaluate yourself and see what you did wrong, what you did well and what you can do better to help the team. That’s how I am. Keep working, don’t stay satisfied. Always stay working, which I am always. And humble. Regardless, tomorrow I will be the first one in the gym working out.”
This philosophy has not gone unnoticed by his teammates.
“He’s been playing his butt off in practice for us now he got a chance to do it in a game in crunch time minutes and he did a great job,” said David lee. “The first thing Toney does is he comes with a lot of energy along with this he is willing to learn so that’s a pretty good combination.”
These driving principals are clearly paying immediate dividends for Douglas and the Knicks. Following Monday night’s loss to Utah, Douglas ranks 12th amongst all rookies in scoring despite playing significantly less minutes than those ahead of him. After his last two outings, he certainly is going to get a chance to improve upon the steady 6.6 points he averaged in limited playing time.
“I just take whatever the defense gives me. I am still playing the same; I am just hitting some shots and doing what I am capable of doing. I am staying focused on defense also and doing what I can to help the team. Of course I was nervous when the season started. I had to be because I’ve never been in the NBA before. But I’m adjusted. I’m fine now”
Judging by his most recent performances, he is more than fine.
It was David Lee.
“Hey rook, hurry up,” he called out jokingly. “Don’t make them wait!”
Lee is the longest tenured Knick, and even he hasn’t seen a Knicks rookie have the kind of impact so soon in his NBA career like Douglas has had. In only his seventh career match, Douglas sparked new life into the Knicks, scoring a team and career-high 21 points while playing tenacious, lockdown defense. This effort came on the heels of an impressive 16 point outing the previous game against the Milwaukee Bucks.
“I saw him over the summer, so I am not surprised at all,” said teammate Wilson Chandler. “But I mean, I didn’t get a chance to play really as a rookie, and he’s come in and made a difference and is doing a good job. That’s cool to see, so yeah, I am impressed.”
Douglas has proven to be mature beyond his 23 years of age. He is a student of the game and prepares like a true professional. He watches countless hours of film and constantly strives to improve all aspects of his game.
“I always practice hard,” said the 6-foot-1, 200-pounder. “That’s one thing I learned in college. If you don’t practice hard, you’re gonna practice like you play. I make sure I always pick my energy up before practice and after practice to get shots up, and work on conditioning before games. I always feel like whenever I’m on the court I’m bringing something to the team.”
His intense work ethic isn’t just limited to the way he practices, but to the way he prepares himself for the game also.
“I watch a lot of film,” he said. “Like the night before (the Utah game), I watched (their last game) the whole night. I look for the guys I am gonna guard and see people’s tendencies and see what I can’t do and what I can do until I feel comfortable and know what to expect.
“Then on game day, I work out in the gym at the practice facility from 11 to 12, and then I get treatment and get in the whirlpool. Then I come here and get more treatment and work out with the coaches.”
While his style of play on the court and demeanor off of it might be that of a sage veteran, Douglas is still a rookie, and with that come certain “unwritten rites of passage.”
“We’ve got to carry around practice gear and get them breakfast when we are at hotels. It’s not hard, but we definitely do the rookie stuff.”
When it comes to these “rites of passage” as well as the other ups and downs of being a first year player in the NBA, Douglas is thankful to have fellow first round pick Jordan Hill and undrafted free agent Marcus Landry around to rely on.
“It feels good that I am not the only one,” he said with a smile on his face, looking in the direction of Hill and Landry’s locker. “We are facing adversity as a team, but also in the typical sense that rookies do, we are there for each other. Like if Jordan or Marcus is going through something I’ve already been through, you can be sure I will be there for them. That’s the best part of having two other rookies around. We can help each other out.”
In addition to his teammates, Douglas also leans on his older brother Harry, who is a star wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons.
“He’s a big brother so he’s not gonna tell me anything good!” joked Toney before getting more serious.
“But he stays on me like always and he does help me out. Even though he plays football it helps me out a lot having him and I can relate to it. He’s been through already what I’ve been going through and he’s always been there for me. Like when I was a sophomore in college, he is who really told me how important it is to be a student of the game.”
Douglas comes from a tight nit family. Even today, his parents travel to the majority of both of their sons’ games, and they too are another support system for the budding Knicks star.
“My parents have been to most of the road games, and they’re up here for all the games this week. They fly around, and if it is in the South they will drive. It’s great to see them up in the stands. They are being parents enjoying watching me play and the team play. Of course, parents are gonna say stuff like what you do well and what you do badly. But at the end of the day, they are just here enjoying their son playing.”
Even though he is surrounded by so many people who care for him and who he draws strength from, Douglas’ greatest attribute is his self motivation and determination.
“At the end of the day you’ve got to evaluate yourself and see what you did wrong, what you did well and what you can do better to help the team. That’s how I am. Keep working, don’t stay satisfied. Always stay working, which I am always. And humble. Regardless, tomorrow I will be the first one in the gym working out.”
This philosophy has not gone unnoticed by his teammates.
“He’s been playing his butt off in practice for us now he got a chance to do it in a game in crunch time minutes and he did a great job,” said David lee. “The first thing Toney does is he comes with a lot of energy along with this he is willing to learn so that’s a pretty good combination.”
These driving principals are clearly paying immediate dividends for Douglas and the Knicks. Following Monday night’s loss to Utah, Douglas ranks 12th amongst all rookies in scoring despite playing significantly less minutes than those ahead of him. After his last two outings, he certainly is going to get a chance to improve upon the steady 6.6 points he averaged in limited playing time.
“I just take whatever the defense gives me. I am still playing the same; I am just hitting some shots and doing what I am capable of doing. I am staying focused on defense also and doing what I can to help the team. Of course I was nervous when the season started. I had to be because I’ve never been in the NBA before. But I’m adjusted. I’m fine now”
Judging by his most recent performances, he is more than fine.
