It didn’t take Iman Shumpert long to realize the responsibilities that come with playing for the New York Knicks. Within hours of being drafted, Shumpert received dozens of interview requests and gained nearly 8,000 followers on Twitter. This was very different from his days as the under-the-radar point guard from Georgia Tech and his world would grow even bigger in the weeks that followed.

“It’s gotten pretty big,” Shumpert told HOOPSWORLD. “I’ll be in a random place and have people recognize me. I had it before, but now it’s sort of worldwide because everybody knows the Knicks. A lot of people in different cities might say, ‘What’s their mascot?’ But everybody knows the Knicks so it’s a little different. Everyone is asking me if I’ve talked to Chauncey, if I’ve talked to Amar’e or if I’ve talked to ‘Melo. It’s exciting. My world has gotten really big, but I’m trying to keep it close with the people that I was with before being drafted.”

That’s why he’s back at the famed IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL. This is where he worked out in the months prior to the draft. It was in this gym that he made his steady ascent up draft boards and solidified himself as a first-round pick. He continues to work with head trainer Dan Barto, who is helping him prepare for his rookie season.

“I’m just making sure that I get repetitions up on my jump shot, clean up my decision making and find the spots on the floor that I like to get to in order to score,” Shumpert said. “I want to make myself a more efficient player by the time the season starts.”

Shumpert continues to work on his three-point shot, which is more important than ever now that he’ll be playing in New York under Mike D’Antoni.

“It’s feeling good,” Shumpert said. “I’ve been shooting at a high percentage and working with Dan Barto to make sure that I get a lot of reps. Even after our basketball workouts, I come back later on in the day to make sure I get extra reps up. I’m just getting adjusted to it being a couple of steps back. I’ve been making sure my legs are dead before shooting just to switch it up and get into that groove of shooting the ball from NBA three.”

There has been some discussion about whether Shumpert would play point guard or shooting guard in New York, but he doesn’t hesitate when asked which position he expects to play.

“I think I’ll be able to step in and play point guard,” Shumpert said. “I’ll be able to facilitate on offense and put pressure on other point guards using my size.”

He can’t wait to learn from his all of his new teammates and coaches, but he’s particularly excited to soak up information from Chauncey Billups.

“That’s like the original big guard,” Shumpert said with a smile. “Just being behind him and being able to learn from him should make me a hundred times better.”

At Georgia Tech, Shumpert was expected to take over games and dominate the ball on offense. He’s looking forward to playing with scorers like Anthony and Stoudemire because he’ll be able to step back and focus on other aspects of his game such as creating for others and playing lockdown defense.

“I think it’ll help me because all of the pressure won’t be on me,” Shumpert said. “I can just play my game. I’ll be taking shots that are there instead having to forcing shots. I can really just play free and play off of those guys. I think it’ll be a good adjustment for me.”

This summer, Shumpert has been having fun with his fans by uploading videos of him dunking onto YouTube and Twitter. He has completed a 360 windmill and a between the legs dunk among others. He threw down a behind the back dunk for HOOPSWORLD on Monday.

“I like to dunk and I like to get a couple of style points on it,” Shumpert said. “That’s just something I do for fun. In the game, I’m really just worried about getting the two points. I’ll get them with authority, but I’m worried about getting the points. But as the lockout continues, I’m just trying to have some fun and give the fans something to see. There’s not really any kind of dunk contests going on so if I can have fans tune in to my workouts and then afterward do a couple of dunks, if that brings smiles to people’s faces, that’s what I’m going to do.”

Shumpert’s hard work is necessary because he has high expectations for himself going forward. When asked what his next goals are, he rattles off several accomplishments he hopes to attain.

“Rookie of the year, All-Star game, dunk contest champion and all of that stuff,” Shumpert said. “I want to be the best.”

martin wrote:

His jumper looks good but that beat is Straight Fire!!!

ActionJackson wrote:

martin wrote:

His jumper looks good but that beat is Straight Fire!!!

He has some great dunks, which are fun to watch, but I couldn't care less about that. So many young kids can dunk. More important to me is that he looks like he can play B-ball at a high level.

nixluva wrote:All that remains now is for him improve his 3 ball and passing the ball effectively.

I had no idea that it was *that* simple!!!