Knicks center Enes Kanter isn't happy with his new role off the bench.
The 26-year-old was replaced in the starting lineup by second-year center Luke Kornet earlier this week, and Kanter aired his frustration about coming off the bench to play after New York faced another loss against the Jazz on Saturday.
"I don’t know what the situation is," Kanter said, per the New York Post. "I don’t know why they’re shutting me down this early.
"This is too early in the season to shut me down. My goal is to go out there and try to be an All-Star this year. That was my goal. But now, look at the situation. You can't do anything about it. You've got to stay positive. Just got to stay positive."
Kanter didn't play until nine minutes into the matchup when the Knicks were already down 14 points. He didn't score as he went 0-for-6 shooting. The veteran called the Knicks' 129-97 loss to the Jazz "very embarrassing" because New York has now lost 12 of its last 13 games.
"It's embarrassing," Kanter told reporters. "It doesn't matter if we're on the road or we're at home. We're down by like 40 or 50. It's very embarrassing. I understand we want our young guys to get better. But it's very painful to watch it.
"I try to stay positive and help the young guys get better, but like I said, I have no idea why they're doing that."
Kanter, who is set to become a free agent during the offseason, is averaging 14.3 points and 10.6 rebounds in 26.6 minutes through 37 games (23 starts) this season.
