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New York Knicks: Comparing the two-way contract candidates

By Maxwell Ogden

GREENBURG, NY - JULY 17: New York Knicks team President, Steve Mills and Jeff Hornacek of the New York Knicks introduce General Manager Scott Perry at a pess conference at the at Knicks Practice Center July 17, 2017 in Greenburg, New York. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Steven Freeman/NBAE via Getty Images)
GREENBURG, NY - JULY 17: New York Knicks team President, Steve Mills and Jeff Hornacek of the New York Knicks introduce General Manager Scott Perry at a pess conference at the at Knicks Practice Center July 17, 2017 in Greenburg, New York. Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Steven Freeman/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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PITTSBURGH, PA – FEBRUARY 18: Pittsburgh Panthers Guard Jamel Artis (1) attacks the rim during the college basketball game between the Florida State Seminoles and the Pittsburgh Panthers on February 18, 2017, at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PA – FEBRUARY 18: Pittsburgh Panthers Guard Jamel Artis (1) attacks the rim during the college basketball game between the Florida State Seminoles and the Pittsburgh Panthers on February 18, 2017, at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Scoring Ability

As far as scoring is concerned, the runaway favorite here is former Pittsburgh Panthers star Jamel Artis. He averaged 12.6 points per game and 18.2 points per 36 minutes over the course of his four college seasons, including the 18.2 points per game he averaged as a senior.

Beyond the numbers, Artis is the complete package as a scorer with the size, driving ability, shooting range, and toughness to put up points in a hurry.

Second to Artis is Xavier Rathan-Mayes, who has become a more methodical player since his freshman season. He has an acceptable outside shot, excellent size for his position, and the valuable ability to get to the rim.

Rathan-Mayes’ first instinct is to facilitate, but it wasn’t long ago that he was regarded as one of the more promising young scorers in the country.

Last is Nigel Hayes, who’s more of a situational scorer than a player who’s going to get a bucket in isolation. He’s as skilled as anyone the Knicks signed, however, including a decent post game, a solid outside shot, and the ability to finish above the rim.

Hayes is third on this list, but with the proper spacing, he can be an effective and efficient supporting scorer in isolation sets.

Rankings

  1. Jamel Artis
  2. Xavier Rathan-Mayes
  3. Nigel Hayes