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New York Knicks: Five reasons to love the Xavier Rathan-Mayes signing

By Maxwell Ogden

TALLAHASSEE, FL - FEBRUARY 20: Guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes #22 of the Florida State Seminoles during the game against the Boston College Eagles at the Donald L. Tucker Center on February 20, 2017 in Tallahassee, Florida. The 19th ranked Florida State defeated Boston College 104 to 72. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images)
TALLAHASSEE, FL - FEBRUARY 20: Guard Xavier Rathan-Mayes #22 of the Florida State Seminoles during the game against the Boston College Eagles at the Donald L. Tucker Center on February 20, 2017 in Tallahassee, Florida. The 19th ranked Florida State defeated Boston College 104 to 72. (Photo by Don Juan Moore/Getty Images) /
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SUNRISE, FL – DECEMBER 17: Xavier Rathan-Mayes #22 of the Florida State Seminoles brings the ball up court against the Manhattan Jaspers during the MetroPCS Orange Bowl Basketball Classic on December 17, 2016 at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. Florida State defeated Manhattan 83-67. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)
SUNRISE, FL – DECEMBER 17: Xavier Rathan-Mayes #22 of the Florida State Seminoles brings the ball up court against the Manhattan Jaspers during the MetroPCS Orange Bowl Basketball Classic on December 17, 2016 at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. Florida State defeated Manhattan 83-67. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images) /

1. Playmaking Ability

It’s no secret that the New York Knicks are in dire need of aid on the offensive end of the floor. There are quality scorers throughout the rotation, but the glaring void is that of a player who can consistently put their teammates in a position to score.

Xavier Rathan-Mayes may not be the next Rajon Rondo, but he has the playmaking ability that the Knicks have been searching for at the point guard position.

Rathan-Mayes averaged 4.5 assists per game and 5.9 assists per 40 minutes for his career. He improved his production as a facilitator in each of his three seasons at Florida State—both from a volume and an efficiency perspective.

That combination of production would be valuable to a Knicks team that still hasn’t defined the primary facilitator for the 2016-17 season.

After averaging 4.9 assists to 3.9 turnovers per 40 minutes as a freshman, Rathan-Mayes made significant progress at 6.0 assists to 3.4 turnovers per 40 minutes as a sophomore. As a senior, he made yet another leap to 6.9 assists and 2.7 turnovers per 40 minutes.

That’s an three-year improvement in assist-to-turnover ratio from 1.27 in 2014-15 to 1.76 in 2015-16 to 2.58 in 2016-17—more than double the original number.

Must Read: Five reasons to love the Jamel Artis signing

As Xavier Rathan-Mayes is making steady improvement in both his production and his ball control. That makes him the perfect point guard prospect for the New York Knicks.