Early grabbed a rebound in his one minute of playing time Monday against the Spurs.

There were very high expectations coming into the season for Early, and he was projected to be Carmelo Anthony’s backup. However, in the early stages of the regular season Lance Thomas has been getting most of the opportunities ahead of Early. He’s only managed one field goal in just nine minutes of action in New York’s first four games. It will be an uphill battle for Early to increase his role, but it’s not something that is out of the question.