For Shumpert, an Opportunity Down the Stretch The recent loss of Jeremy Lin (knee) and Amar'e Stoudemire (back) to potentially season-ending injuries has been viewed as a potential death knell for the Knicks. Facing the N.B.A."s second toughest home-stretch schedule, the Knicks have turned to Baron Davis, who has not exactly inspired confidence of late. But while Davis's play will certainly go a long way in determining whether New York will be in the playoffs for the second straight year, it's the fortunes of another Knicks guard that may prove even more of a factor: Iman Shumpert. After a Christmas Day knee injury forced Shumpert to miss the next 10 days of action, he returned with decided promise, averaging 13 points (on just under 46 percent shooting), 4 rebounds, and 4 assists over the subsequent five-game stretch - most of them in the unenviable role of stopgap starting point guard. But beginning with a woeful outing against the Grizzlies - he shot 5 for 20 from the field - Shumpert's play began to falter. Lacking a true floor general, the Knicks, like Shumpert, struggled and slogged their way through a 2-11 stretch. After the ascension of Lin, Shumpert was assigned to an off-the-bench role, hitting over 50 percent from the floor in just four of the next 21 games. He had a growing reputation as a reliable defensive stopper, but it was clear that his offensive confidence had, like the legs and egos of so many first-year players, hit a wall. Enter the assistant general manager, Allan Houston. Under the tutelage of Houston, the former Knicks sharpshooter, Shumpert's stroke has been brought back from the brink. In the last four games, Shumpert is averaging 17.8 points (on 49 percent shooting), 4 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 2.5 steals in just over 37 minutes. More impressive has been Shumpert's drastic improvement from distance, where he has connected on 12 of his last 26 3-point attempts (46 percent) - this after failing to hit a triple in the five previous outings. Meanwhile, Shumpert's defensive intensity - buoyed by his ability to guard at least three different positions - helped transform the Knicks into one of the most efficiently stifling defensive units in the league. Since inserting Shumpert, a former Georgia Tech star, back into the starting lineup on March 26, the Knicks" principal platoon of Davis, Shumpert, Landry Fields, Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler have accumulated team highs in both +/- (+30) and Win% (75 percent), along with a stellar Defensive Efficiency of 0.80. Shumpert's newfound confidence hasn't gone unnoticed by Knicks Coach Mike Woodson, who has played him in nearly all of his recent down-the-stretch lineups. With Lin and Stoudemire likely out for the remainder of the regular season, the pressure - and the playoff burden - will rest on a patchwork Knicks team trying to stave off a surging Bucks squad for the eighth and final spot. That includes the resurgent Shumpert, who over the next few weeks will most likely find himself tethered in stretches to the likes of Brandon Jennings, John Wall, Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Ray Allen, Paul Pierce, Deron Williams and Chris Paul. Such a stretch would be rough for any rookie, especially one enduring a compressed season unlike anything Shumpert experienced during his three years at Georgia Tech. But if Shumpert can keep up his recent dynamic play - efficient shooting coupled with an increasingly hounding on-ball defense - even these N.B.A. stars might find out the hard way that No. 21 is no longer just any rookie. Jim Cavan is a contributing writer at KnickerBlogger.net, a member of the ESPN TrueHoop network. You can find him on Twitter (@JPCavan).