Knicks: Five Reasons New York Will Make The Playoffs

2. Addressing The Primary Flaw

No team struggled to create penetration in 2015-16 quite like the New York Knicks. New York ranked dead last in the NBA in both drives per game and points via drives per game, and the gap was massive between No. 30 and No. 29.

According to Charley Rosen of Today’s Fastbreak, Jackson recognized that the Knicks were unable to create penetration with any consistency in 2015-16.

"“But, really, when you come down to it, the triangle is just a way to format basic basketball. Lots of teams run many aspects of the triangle, with San Antonio being the most successful example. What we lacked that, say, the Spurs had, were guards who could penetrate and force defenses to make the kinds of adjustments that left other players open.”"

Fortunately for the Knicks, the right players have been acquired.

For all of the injury concerns, Derrick Rose still managed to rank No. 14 in the NBA in drives per game in 2015-16. More importantly, he was No. 9 in the NBA in points via drives per game at 6.9 on 51.0 percent shooting.

For perspective, the Knicks averaged a league-worst 10.4 points via drives per game in 2015-16—just 3.5 more than Rose had individually.

In other words, Rose alone will improve the Knicks’ ability to create penetration and collapse opposing defenses.

Brandon Jennings isn’t an elite slasher, but he’s a lethal 3-point shooter who knows how to attack off the bounce. Courtney Lee is a very capable slasher who can create with his handles and finish at the rim.

With New York addressing the flaw that most significantly plagued it in 2015-16, the postseason aspirations rest squarely on the shoulders of the franchise player.

Next: The Franchise Player