Knicks Rumors: Reasons To Love The Courtney Lee Signing

3. Defense

The New York Knicks are in dire need of perimeter players who can lock down their respective positions. Though lockdown defense is tough to come by, a team with driven and consistent defensive players can get the job done as a whole.

Constant changes have sparked some to believe that he’s inconsistent, but with stability, Courtney Lee can be an outstanding defensive player.

Lee held opponents to 41.8 percent shooting from the field during the 2015-16 season. That’s nearly two percent below his opponents’ average field goal percentage, which is the sign of his being a plus defender.

When one considers that Lee was forced to overcome the adversity of being traded mid-season, that number is all the more impressive.

The beauty of Lee’s game is that he can adjust and adapt to whatever it is his coach tells him he needs to do. Having established his influence on Charlotte’s offense, the following statistic holds that much more weight.

In 2015-16, the Memphis Grizzlies’ defensive rating was 102.1 with Lee and 107.4 without him—a massive difference of 5.3 points per 100 possessions.

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