The New York Knicks exercised their $3.5 million option on combo guard Allonzo Trier yesterday, and the former Arizona Wildcat showed his appreciation by sending a short tweet that encapsulated his journey:

Trier was regarded as one of the top prospects in college basketball heading into his sophomore year at Arizona, but was suspended for nearly half of the 2016-17 season due to a positive test for a banned substance that Trier had ingested in 2016.

He was nearly suspended again prior to the Pac-10 Tournament in 2018, but he successfully appealed his ban, which had suggested that trace amounts of the substance were still in Trier's system. Unfortunately for Trier, the damage had been done.

Despite once being projected as a lottery pick, the character questions that surrounded Trier stained his reputation, and he want undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft. However, the Knicks would sign Trierto a two-way contract, giving him the opportunity to live out his NBA dream.

Trier seemed to capitalize on this chance almost immediately. He scored 15 points in his debut over the Atlanta Hawks, including an absolutely vicious baptismal of Taurean Prince and Omari Spellman.

On a Knicks team that struggled to find dependable scorers, Trier showed a knack for creating his own shot, and he also shot close to 40 percent from the three-point line.

Of course, the Knicks are hoping to land a pair of max free agents this summer, which could impact Trier's playing time next season.

Still, Trier has earned his stripes in the league, and he suddenly figures to be an important bench piece for a team hoping to contend in 2020.