Alan Hahn's post on New York Knicks | Latest updates on Sulia

Though Iman Shumpert has been back for 10 games now, he still isn't himself yet. What's missing? One word:

Swagger. What endeared Shumpert to Mike Woodson and the veterans on this team was an effervescent confidence that didn't come off as arrogant, but self-assured. The youngest player on the team by far, Woodson still affectionately refers to the 22-year-old as "Rook" and has a great deal of confidence - and expectations - in him. "I'm just trying to slowly bring him along," Woodson said of Shumpert, who is returning from an ACL injury. "Defensively, he's not reckless abandon like I want him to be, like he was last year." Despite the team's struggles to defend opposing point guards, Woodson has been careful to limit Shumpert's exposure to taking on those challenges, which are expected to be a major part of his role. Shumpert doesn't have that swagger back just yet to be the defensive stopper he developed into last season. "I think a lot of that is going to come once he feels the confidence in moving laterally and knowing he can bump and gamble a little bit," Woodson said. "I think all of that will come, but right now I think he's still trying to find himself as well."