The New York Knicks fell below .500 with their 110-105 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night, which prompted their All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns to address the team’s need for one particular shift to their offense.
Knicks’ Karl-Anthony Towns acknowledges need for more threes in the offense
Per SNY, Towns — one of the greatest three-point shooting centers in NBA history — was asked by reporters after the game about his desire for the team to hoist more attempts from long range and what has hindered them from doing so thus far, to which the Kentucky product responded by saying:
“I just gotta watch tape to see how we can get more threes up. Obviously, Boston has something in place that they showed that you can get top to six and one threes up so, it may be something there to learn from,” Towns said.
The Knicks are dead last in the league with 28.3 three-pointers attempted per contest. Towns understands that such a marker is unacceptable for a team with real championship aspirations. To add insult to injury, the Knicks are converting an impressive 37.6 percent of their looks from outside, which is the sixth-best clip among all teams. New York’s offense could soar if they launch more from trey.
Also as the New Jersey native accentuated, the defending champion Boston Celtics are sharply contrasted from them, as the C’s lead the league in threes attempted (21.5 3PA), made (21.5 3PM), and converted (42.8 percent).
Reasons that may be causing the Knicks’ outside shooting to falter
That being said, what could be the root of the Knicks’ early woes on offense? What parallels can be drawn from the way their offense is being executed and the reason why they’re not as adamant or effective from distance as they should be? Well, the Knicks are taking the fewest shots in the league (26.7 FGA) on zero dribbles. There’s a sizable 5.3 FGA margin between them and the next worst team, the Philadelphia 76ers. This means that they’re not converting enough on catch-and-shoot looks from beyond the arc. But it’s deeper than that.
For such looks to present themselves, New York needs to break defenses down either in the pick-and-roll or by getting the step on their defenders when attacking the rim. They are not being effective enough in forcing defenses to scramble, and on top of that, they are holding the ball far too long. The Knicks are taking the sixth-most shots from the floor (16.7 FGA) when players hold the ball for six or more seconds, and they’re operating in isolation more than 26 teams in the Association despite converting at only 41.4 percent in such situations.
Knicks have the talent and coaching to increase their productivity from deep
That’s a recipe for disaster for a team’s floor spacing. Towns can be used additionally as an effective distributor when double-teamed on the block or the wing. Overall, the Knicks will benefit from evaluating what has not been working so far, and head coach Tom Thibodeau is an excellent coach to diagnose their issues and remedy them.
There’s a reason why the franchise was so successful last season even amid a wave of injuries once they swung the ball more and heightened their off-ball movement and outside shooting thanks in large part to now-Minnesota Timberwolves star Donte DiVincenzo. Even though DiVincenzo is gone, the Knicks have immense talent to get the job done this time around, and even better than the previous season at that.