Knicks Rumors: Pros and Cons of potentially signing Alan Anderson

LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 10: Alan Anderson #9 of the Los Angeles Clippers handles the ball before the game against the Utah Jazz during a preseason game on October 10, 2016 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 10: Alan Anderson #9 of the Los Angeles Clippers handles the ball before the game against the Utah Jazz during a preseason game on October 10, 2016 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Juan Ocampo/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – MARCH 2: Alan Anderson #6 of the Washington Wizards shoots against Shabazz Muhammad #15 of the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 2, 2016 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – MARCH 2: Alan Anderson #6 of the Washington Wizards shoots against Shabazz Muhammad #15 of the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 2, 2016 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Pro: 3-Point Shooting

One of the areas in which the New York Knicks struggled most in 2016-17 was with the 3-point shot. The two most productive 3-point shooters were Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, both of whom were tasked with creating offense in isolation.

With the need for 3-point shooting quite evident, and the absence of 3-point shooters dwindling, adding Anderson could be a wise decision.

Anderson isn’t an elite shooter, but he’s more than respectable from distance. He has career averages of 1.0 3-point field goals made per game and 1.8 3-point field goals made per 36 minutes on 34.4 percent shooting.

Those are acceptable marks that could help Jeff Hornacek build a healthier flow on offense via both in-game execution and tendencies learned in practice.

3-point shooting doesn’t need to be the end-all, be-all, but New York must improve. It ranked No. 24 in the NBA in 3-point field goals made and No. 21 in 3-point field goal percentage during the 2016-17 season, neither of which are acceptable marks.

The Knicks have done a solid job of finding shooters through the NBA Draft and free agency, and adding Anderson would mean further solidifying the unit.