The New York Knicks Guard depth is awful and they have to address their Guard positions somehow in the next offseason. They need a spacer/shooter at the starting Guard spot, and the free-agent class has some quality talent in terms of shooters, and if they need that starting PG, they might want to bring in the solid PG from the North down to Madison Square Garden for the 2020-2021 NBA season.
Young Sharpshooter
Fred VanVleet is a career 39.2% 3-Point shooter, and his 38.8% 3-point shooting is pretty good, especially since he’s taking 7 3’s a game, which a high volume, showing his ability to be consistently solid from the perimeter. The Knicks need a high volume shooter to be a go-to guy for 3-pointers on the Knicks as they already have RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, and Julius Randle as slashers.
Think about it like this: If you give the Knicks young players a pass-out option when they’re stuck, they’ll make better decisions as they have reliable options when they are double-teamed or locked down. The Knicks need that offense piece to take these long-range shots, and VanVleet is very good at that.
Perimeter Defense is On Point
When it comes to defending perimeter sharpshooters, VanVleet holds players to a 34.7%, which would be one of the better marks on the Knicks. He provides a way for the Knicks to attempt to build a better defensive team as he has a positive Net Rating, meaning he provides more points per 100 possessions than he allows, which is important for building an analytically sound squad.
The Knicks have no one who can do what VanVleet can do offensively OR defensively, but how could they bring him to New York?
Opening Up the Check Book
The New York Knicks could land the young guard at a price that isn’t awful, with a price tag of around $18 million a year for 4 years would be a solid guard for the future, and gives you the ability to draft a guard to pair with VanVleet and excel. The Knicks need a shooting oriented guard who can defend the perimeter, and if they care about building a good team, then they’ll be adding Fred VanVleet to their roster for next season.
Building a Culture For the New York Knicks
Fred VanVleet is an NBA Champion, he knows how to win and would anticipate that the Knicks follow suit. While VanVleet isn’t going to completely change their world, he starts a shift for New York. If the Knicks show they can win 35-40 games in a season and make the 8th seed with young pieces that show promise, they can be an attractive destination for free agents. The Knicks need to start adding pieces not to win a championship now but to lay the foundation for what could be a perennial postseason team that develops into an NBA Champion.