Dec 25, 2013; New York, NY, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Reggie Jackson (15) shoots over New York Knicks power forward Amar
The New York Knicks’ need a new point guard, yesterday. The 2015 free agent class combined with the team’s large cap space will present the Knicks with the rare opportunity to sign a franchise point guard such as Reggie Jackson. This opportunity is so rare and important given the history of the point guard position in New York and team’s current ability to afford a top level talent. A lot will be riding on this decision and the Knicks cannot afford to miss if they have any hope of contending while Carmelo Anthony is still playing.
As most fans unfortunately can never forget, the Knicks have been unable to find a talented long term option at the point guard position since Stephon Marbury was acquired in 2004 and with the team until 2009. Despite never making an All-Star game with New York, Marbury performed alright, averaging 18 points and 7 assists per game (287 games). The problem was simply that the organization and fanbase wanted more out of him due to his large contract owing him $76 million over 4 years. The feuds with Larry Brown, the media, Isiah Thomas, Mike D’Antoni, and the pressures of a superstar contract in lieu of superstar performance are what are most remembered about Marbury who is now a 2-time champion for the Beijing Ducks of the Chinese Basketball Association. The sad fact remains that Marbury was the best point guard the Knicks had in the past decade.
The sad fact remains that Marbury was the best point guard the Knicks had in the past decade
The post-Marbury Knicks has seen the point guard position become a revolving door of former starters past their prime, namely Chauncey Billups, Mike Bibby, Jason Kidd, and the incumbent Jose Calderon. Additionally, Knicks fans remember Raymond Felton, who was having a career year playing alongside Amar’e Stoudemire in 2010 before being sent to Denver in the trade for Carmelo Anthony later that season. Felton was signed again by the Knicks in the summer of 2012 and subsequently followed that up with two seasons of terrible play before being jettisoned to Dallas as part of the Tyson Chandler trade. The sting of Raymond Felton is two fold because he was coming off a terrible year in Portland before the Knicks brought him back and because the Knicks passed on signing free agent Goran Dragic or trading for Kyle Lowry in the process.
The team had a brief glimmer of hope with Jeremy Lin who played the best basketball of his career with the Knicks before being pried away by the overzealous Houston Rockets. That move hurt many fans because the Knicks let Lin go because they did not want to match the Rocket’s offer sheet and further cripple their cap situation at the time. Since his departure, Lin’s mediocre play for the Rockets and current play for the Lakers should tell Knicks fans that Lin, although serviceable, is not a star player despite our fondest memories.
This history lesson in Knicks point guard futility brings us back to the present where the Knicks are trotting out the under performing Jose Calderon, Pablo Prigioni, and Shane Larkin. Prigioni is a smart player, excellent passer, consistent jump shooter, and positive influence on younger players. Prigioni is also 37 years old and despite his best efforts is unable to guard many players in isolation. Larkin is only 22 years old and has shown promise as a role player who can knock down 3’s and steal the ball. After this season, Larkin will be a free agent, Prigioni has 1 year left on a modest deal, and Calderon is under contract for the next 2 years and owed $14 million. The team has been attempting to trade Calderon to try and free up additional cap space and reports about interest in Prigioni have also heated up. Calderon can still be an effective backup but the Knicks might prefer to commit to Larkin rather then keep Calderon around. It seems unlikely the team will keep both players.
Reggie Jackson of the Oklahoma City Thunder will be among the top Knicks targets this offseason for several reasons. The first is that he will be 25 years old and right in his prime as an effective offensive weapon and strong rebounding from the guard position. He also does not have a lot of mileage on his body because he has been primarily a reserve since being drafted 24th overall in the 2011 NBA Draft. Jackson played little as a rookie and first gained recognition in the 2012-13 playoffs after becoming a starter in wake of Russell Westbrook’s torn meniscus. Jackson averaged 15.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game during that playoff stretch and followed it up last season by averaging 13.1 points, 4.1 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 28.5 minutes per game in an effective Sixth Man role.
This year Jackson further cemented his case for becoming a starting point guard with the extensive playing time he enjoyed while Kevin Durant was injured to start the year and Westbrook was injured after the second game of the season. The current playing situation regarding Reggie Jackson is similar to that of Eric Bledsoe, who was stuck behind Chris Paul, and Goran Dragic who was stuck behind Steve Nash. Both players finally received their respective chances to prove their worth and are now starting point guards after previously wallowing in the shadows of others. That being said, Jackson’s ability has been overrated and more importantly he is a bad fit for the Knicks.
Sir Charles In Charge
In the 13 games Reggie Jackson started without Durant and Westbrook this season, the Thunder were ranked 29th in offensive efficiency, a mark not entirely the result of Jackson but still noteworthy. Jackson is not an efficient player, with career shooting averages of .289% from deep, 429% overall, and around 35% outside eight feet. This includes his ineffectiveness as a spot up shooter, a mark at 23.3% this season including 21.4% from deep. The true problem is that Jackson is a pullup shooter making nearly 80% of his shots unassisted. The fact that Jackson does not play well off ball should be a huge red flag for Knicks fans who already have one ball dominant player on the team (Melo). Reggie Jackson’s inefficiency shooting the ball in any capacity makes him a terrible fit for the triangle offense.
Furthermore, questions about his decision making, shot selection, and defense are all tired Knicks tropes. Fans do not want a more expensive Nate Robinson as their starting point guard. Reggie Jackson’s ego regarding his perceived value as a starter is another distraction the Knicks should avoid. Interestingly, when the ball dominant Jackson and equally dominant Russell Westbrook share the floor together they churn out 110.3 points/100 possessions aka the same offensive rating of the Western Conference leading Golden State Warriors. Despite this success, the Thunder chose to acquire yet another ball dominant guard in Dion Waiters. Since the arrival of Waiters who did not perform well enough to play with LeBron, Jackson’s minutes have decreased to around 20 minutes per game. It appears the Thunder are content to limit Reggie Jackson’s role until they trade him at the deadline or let him walk in restricted free agency given their limited cap flexibility and history of avoiding the luxury tax (think Jeff Green and James Harden). The Knicks should pass on Jackson who is unlikely to fit in well due to his lack of polish. Jackson certainly can improve as a basketball player and has looked great in flashes but then again so did Marbury. The Knicks cannot afford to invest in an inefficient player who needs the ball in his hands and has decision making concerns.
The Knicks cannot afford to invest in an inefficient player who needs the ball in his hands and has decision making concerns
The questions remains if not Jackson then who? The other top targets are Brandon Knight and Goran Dragic. It might be difficult to pry away the 23 year old Knight from the young up and coming Bucks. Dragic to the Knicks is a very plausible scenario given the point guard bottleneck in Phoenix. Dragic will be 29 by the end of the season but might be the point guard most ready to help the Knicks contend with Melo. Rajon Rondo will also be a free agent although Dallas is an early favorite to retain his services. Lesser options include Patrick Beverley or the return of Jeremy Lin. The Knicks have a very difficult decision to make this offseason.
*Stats courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com