JR Smith has said that he is keen to secure a place in the New York Knicks' starting lineup this season.

The shooting guard was named the NBA's sixth man of the year last season, having averaged 18.1 points per game from the bench.

The 28-year-old told ESPN: "I've always wanted to start. Everybody knows that. I won the Sixth Man [Award] last year, so I felt as though there's nothing left to prove at the sixth-man spot.

"But at the same time, if that's what my team needs me to do, that's what I'll do. If Coach wants me to be a sixth man, I'll be a sixth man. If he wants me to start, I'll start. That's up to him."

Smith will miss the first five games of the season while serving a suspension for violating the league's drug policy.