Knicks Rumors: Pros and Cons of potentially signing Jarrett Jack

Con: Defensive Inconsistency

Jarrett Jack has never been regarded as the best of defensive players. He’s not exactly a liability on the defensive end of the floor, but expecting him to lock players down would be an exercise in futile thinking and irrational optimism.

The fact that Jack will be 34 years of age and recovering from a torn ACL is an even stronger sign that he’ll struggle on defense.

Jack was able to get by on the strength of his 6’3″ frame and respectable wingspan. When focused, he could move his feet well enough to stay in front of players and contest shots with an ideal level of proficiency.

It’s still plausible that he could return to the NBA with the Knicks and provide that basic level of defensive contributions.

As the Knicks commit to a vision of hard-nosed defense, however, adding a player who projects to struggle would be unideal. One player won’t force the entire defense to crumble, but nothing has hurt New York more over the past three seasons than defense at the point guard position.

Frank Ntilikina projects to be a lockdown defender in his prime, but if a veteran is going to receive more minutes, they should be able to defend.