Knicks Rumors: Reasons To Love The Brandon Jennings Signing

The New York Knicks have reportedly agreed to terms with free agent point guard Brandon Jennings. Here’s why you should love the move.

Phil Jackson has restored faith in pessimistic New York Knicks fans across the world. There’s still work to be done, but Jackson has built a postseason-caliber roster that can provide Knicks fans with the instant gratification they’ve been longing for over the past 15 years..

Though the starters may garner the lion’s share of the attention, it’s the new backup point guard who could determine the outcome of the season.

Derrick Rose and Courtney Lee will make up the new starting backcourt, with nine-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony starring at small forward. Kristaps Porzingis and Joakim Noah will start down low, but the void remained for depth at virtually ever position—most notably point guard.

According to Marc Stein of ESPN, the Knicks are finalizing the signing of free agent point guard Brandon Jennings.

Jennings confirmed the move via his official Twitter account.

Shortly thereafter, he posted a second tweet with more concrete evidence and unfiltered excitement:

Void filled.

Jennings is coming off of a 2015-16 season during which he averaged 6.9 points, 3.5 assists, 2.0 rebounds, and 1.1 3-point field goals made in 18.1 minutes. He did so on a slash line of .368/.329/.731.

Thus, on paper, it appears as though the Knicks’ one-year investment won’t amount to much by way of a positive return.

Below the surface, however, are a number of key truths that provide clarity and perspective. Jennings struggled in 2015-16, but it wasn’t without reason—just as this signing wasn’t without purpose.

The numbers may not be pretty, but you should love the Knicks’ decision to sign Jennings. Here are five reasons why.

Next: Filling The No. 1 Need

5. Necessary Depth

In today’s NBA, where ball movement and teamwork tend to win out, teams require depth at all five positions. The stars at the top may determine the outcomes, but it’s the reserves who either maintain a lead or lose it.

For the New York Knicks, depth was more important to find at point guard than any other position on the roster.

When New York traded for Derrick Rose, it readily acknowledged the risks involved. Head coach Jeff Hornacek stated during a recent press conference that one of the jobs of the coaching staff will be to manage to Rose’s minutes and appearances in 2016-17.

In other words, Brandon Jennings has been signed to be more than just the backup point guard—he’s been brought in as a capable starter if ever the need be.

Jennings spent most of the 2015-16 season on the bench, but that was the result of his recovering from a severe injury. Prior to last season, he started in 409 of a possible 412 games for the Milwaukee Bucks and Detroit Pistons.

Every team needs a backup point guard and a sixth man, but New York needed a potential fill-in starter—and that’s exactly what it got.

Next: History Talks

4. The Value of a Sixth Man

Few franchises are as aware of the importance of a great sixth man as the New York Knicks. Three players have won Sixth Man of the Year while donning a Knicks jersey, and New York has won at least 50 games in all three of those seasons.

In the city of New York, having a great sixth man is the rough equivalent to having a great overall roster.

The three Knicks who won Sixth Man of the Year were the late great Anthony Mason in 1994-95, John Starks in 1996-97, and J.R. Smith in 2012-13. For perspective, New York went 55-27 in 1994-95, 57-25 in 1996-97, and 54-28 in 2012-13.

Brandon Jennings’ game just so happens to be perfectly suited for the role of a sixth man, as one could discern from the revelation of who his favorite player is.

Jamal Crawford, of course, is a three-time Sixth Man of the Year.

Prior to his well-documented injury, Jennings was a starter who was on an All-Star trajectory. In 2014-15, he was the primary playmaker for a Detroit Pistons team that had won 12 of 15 games entering the game he tore his achilles tendon.

As a relentless playmaker who has never met a scoring or facilitating opportunity he didn’t like, Jennings is perfectly suited for the role of a sixth man.

Next: Spacing The Floor

3. 3-Point Shooting

The New York Knicks were in dire need of 3-point shooters who can consistently space the floor. Carmelo Anthony, Courtney Lee, and Kristaps Porzingis are all high-quality shooters, but two of the three are also go-to scoring options.

Now joining Lee as one of the Knicks’ primary 3-point shooters is a player who has been quietly efficient and productive from beyond the arc.

Brandon Jennings has a career average of 1.8 3-point field goals made per game on 35.0 percent shooting from distance. Prior to the achilles tear he suffered in 2014-15, he’d made at least 150 3-point field goals in consecutive seasons.

Though his full-season mark of 32.9 percent underwhelmed in 2015-16, it’s worth noting that he shot 34.6 percent from distance in 25 games with the Orlando Magic.

Not only did Jennings close out the season in solid fashion, but he thrived in a critical way over the course of the entire season. His pull-up jump shot was erratic, but he converted 41.4 percent of his catch-and-shoot 3-point field goal attempts.

In Jeff Hornacek’s motion offense, where Jennings will have the opportunity to play off-ball, his proficiency from distance could prove incredibly valuable.

Next: A Wise Investment

2. No Long-Term Risk

Yes, the New York Knicks are employing two point guards who have a troubling history of injuries. Yes, it’s entirely possible that both will either underperform or succumb to the injuries that have plagued them before.

True as that all may be, the financial structure of both contracts imply that the Knicks don’t have very much to lose.

Derrick Rose is making a hefty sum of money, but he’s entering the final season of his current contract. He’s due to make $21,323,252 in 2016-17, but if it doesn’t work out for the Knicks, he’ll be a free agent next season.

The same can be said for Brandon Jennings, who’s only due $5 million on a one-year deal, per Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago.

That’s as low-risk a move as one can find in the modern NBA—or any era, for that matter.

Jennings is coming off of a severe injury, but there’s nothing on the line aside from one season of reasonable pay. The worst case scenario in this situation is that Jennings can’t provide the necessary impact or consistency, and he walks in 2017.

For that matter, the worst case scenario may actually be that Jackson flips Jennings at the Trade Deadline for a decent return.

The best case scenario is that Jennings plays like himself again, and the Knicks have, arguably, the best sixth man in the NBA. That’s the very definition of a low-risk, high-reward type of investment.

As career role players land long-term deals worth tens of millions of dollars, Phil Jackson knocked this one out of the park from a financial perspective.

Next: The Hunger

1. Something To Prove

The New York Knicks will start four players who have been to the Conference Finals or NBA Finals: Carmelo Anthony, Courtney Lee, Joakim Noah, and Derrick Rose. Coupled with Kristaps Porzingis’ unquenchable thirst for improvement, the starting five will be starving for success.

Though he’s only 26 years of age, Brandon Jennings is out to prove himself as someone who belongs in the NBA—a strange reality for a player who was a borderline All-Star in 2014-15.

Jennings has been cast as a player who’s more about his personal statistics than the success of the team. Those who criticize him for such tend to ignore how unselfish he was in accepting a backup role to Reggie Jackson in Detroit, and Elfrid Payton in Orlando.

Just over 24 hours before he was signed by the Knicks, Jennings addressed those inaccurate criticisms head-on.

In other words, Jennings has something to prove in 2016-17—and that’s an incredibly important truth for the Knicks.

There’s no player more valuable in the NBA than one who’s hungry for success. No matter their limitations, a coach will never have to question their effort when said player is motivated by outside factors.

That’s the exact definition of the Knicks’ roster entering 2016-17: everyone seems to have something to prove.

For Jennings, it’s that he’s both hungry and healthy; for Noah and Rose, it’s the same. For Anthony, it’s that he’s more than just a future Hall of Famer with a great regular season resume; he’s a superstar who wants to win.

Thus, while some might question the stability of the roster, Phil Jackson has built a rotation that’s flush with players who have something to prove.

must read: Free agent shooters whom the Knicks should sign

No offseason move is risk-free, but Jackson has positioned the Knicks to make a statement in 2016-17 as a veteran team with a rising star and a hunger for success—an identity that Jennings’ signing legitimizes.