2. 3-Point Shooting
$17.75 million per season would be a hefty average base salary to pay to a 3-point shooter who offers little else. Yet, for the New York Knicks, merely knowing that Tim Hardaway Jr. can knock down the outside shot is a plus.
Hardaway is more of an unpolished all-around scorer than a pure shooter, but he has the ability to convert with efficiency from beyond the arc—a rare strength in New York.
The Knicks finished the 2016-17 regular reason at No. 24 in 3-point field goals made and No. 21 in 3-point field goal percentage. Hardaway, meanwhile, has converted at least 100 3-point field goals in three of his four NBA seasons
Although not especially efficient, his career 3-point field goal percentage of .352 is solid enough for teams to take him seriously.
This past season, Hardaway converted an average of 1.9 3-point field goals made per game—good for 149 total in 79 appearances. He boasts a career average of 2.5 3-point field goals made per 36 minutes, thus displaying his ability and willingness to knock down the outside shot.
Hardaway Jr. shot 36.7 percent on catch-and-shoot 3-point field goals and 33.3 percent on pull-up 3-point field goals, thus displaying raw ability that an all-time shooter like Hornacek can help cultivate.