Courtney Lee
The New York Knicks signed Courtney Lee to a four-yer deal worth $48 million during the summer of 2016. The goal of the signing was to land a player who could defend multiple positions, space the floor, and create offense when the stars go cold.
Lee’s defense isn’t much of a problem whatsoever, but he’ll need to step up as a scorer if the Knicks’ stars are going to avoid struggling in the way they did during the season opener.
Lee finished the season opener with zero points on 0-of-5 shooting from the field and 0-of-2 shooting from beyond the arc. He committed two turnovers to no assists and no shots made over the course of 20 game minutes.
Lee doesn’t need to be an explosive scoring threat, but the Knicks need him to provide timely buckets when the offense appears to stall—something he’s yet to do.
Lee ended the preseason on a high note, recording 11 and 15 points during the final two outings. He also had games of five, three, and four points, which simply isn’t up to par with what the Knicks need from the starting shooting guard.
It’s bigger than numbers, yes, but Lee must be able to consistently make an offensive impact if the Knicks are going to win in 2016-17.