New York Knicks: Five reasons to love the Jarrett Jack signing

The New York Knicks have signed free agent point guard Jarrett Jack. Why should you be excited about the Knicks’ decision to sign the 12-year veteran?

The New York Knicks have officially completed the 2017 period of free agency. With one final signing, the Knicks have filled out the 20-man roster that it plans to carry into training camp before making the final cuts.

It completed that process by signing 12-year veteran and free agent point guard Jarrett Jack to a non-guaranteed deal that will span one season.

The odds are in the favor of this contract providing Jack with an opportunity to prove himself at training camp.

Any player who’s signed in the middle of September is unlikely to be viewed as a franchise-altering talent. Signing Jack is one of the more savvy moves the Knicks have made this offseason, however, and it shouldn’t be dismissed as an irrelevant decision.

Jack has struggled to overcome the knee injury that he suffered in 2016, but prior to the issue, he was regarded as one of the best backup point guards in basketball.

There’s a realistic possibility that Jack, 33, will be unable to overcome the knee injury that now threatens his career. It’s just as fair to believe that he’ll compete with Ramon Sessions to become the veteran competition to Frank Ntilikina.

The question is: Why should you love the decision to sign Jarrett Jack and what can he bring to the New York Knicks?

5. Alleviating Pressure

In an ideal world, Frank Ntilikina will come in and prove capable of playing upwards of 25 minutes per game as a rookie. He’ll start the entire regular season, contribute on both ends of the floor, and justify the investment that New York made in just one season.

In a more realistic world, however, Ntilikina will require a veteran complement to alleviate some of the pressure he’s all but destined to face as a rookie.

Jarrett Jack may not be the answer, but it’s also possible that Ramon Sessions won’t play as well as he’s expected to. Thus, while some may question the Jack signing, the rationale was quite simple: If Sessions doesn’t step up, someone else will need to.

By signing Jack, the Knicks have all but ensured that a veteran will be present to lighten the burden Ntilikina carries in 2017-18.

Between Jack, Sessions, Ron Baker, and Chasson Randle, the Knicks have something of a surplus of point guards. Clarity will need to be achieved at some point in the near future, but Ntilikina is essentially a favorite amongst promising players and respected veterans.

That’s a much better place to be than as the shoo-in to start in a major market without any NBA experience to prepare one’s self for this incomparable task.

4. Veteran Leadership

All eyes will be on Frank Ntilikina when the New York Knicks begin the 2017-18 NBA regular season. Before the games can be played, however, he’ll be tasked with making a difficult transition at a training camp that will put a bullseye on his chest.

There’s a deep competition at the point guard position, and that makes veterans a necessary presence for Ntilikina—for all of the ups and downs that he encounters.

An incoming rookie can be demoralized and discouraged well before he takes the court for a regular season game. If he enters training camp and struggles to hold his own, that could ruin his confidence before he has a chance to adjust to the pace of the NBA.

Having experienced veterans like Jarrett Jack and Ramon Sessions at training camp will enable the Knicks to provide Ntilikina with mentors during the first stage of his NBA career.

Come the regular season, having either Jack or Sessions on the roster would mean providing Ntilikina with that voice of reason for the entire first year of his career. Whether or not Jack makes the 15-man cut, his presence at training camp indicates that New York wants high-character veterans in Ntilikina’s ear.

That alone is reason to love the fact that New York has added Jack to its training camp roster.

3. The Clutch Factor

Some may attempt to debate this statement, but it takes a special breed of person and player to consistently step up in the clutch. Converting shots at the end of a game simply has a different level of pressure than any other shot in any other circumstance.

Between his college career with the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and his 12-year NBA career, Jarrett Jack has consistently displayed the ability to step up in the clutch.

Jack has started 243 games, but he’s finished far more than that. Even when he played with Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, the coaching staff often trusted Jack with the final shot—a statement unto itself.

That carried into his recent tenure with the Brooklyn Nets, which was his last run before the knee injury that’s limited him since 2015-16.

Beyond the way this could help the Knicks win games is the fact that Jack can mentor Frank Ntilikina in the clutch. Players either have it or they don’t, but those who have it may know techniques for staying calm under pressure that can be taught—or other wisdom to impart.

Ntilikina may one day become the Knicks’ go-to player during clutch situations, and Jack is an excellent point guard to learn from in said scenarios.

2. Facilitating Touch

One could reasonably argue that the New York Knicks haven’t been able to rely on any individual facilitator since 2012-13. One could also rationally state that the Knicks haven’t moved the ball well as a team since 2012-13.

Jarrett Jack isn’t guaranteed to make the roster, but if he does, his ability to facilitate the offense would be an invaluable tool.

Jack possesses career averages of 4.5 assists per game and 5.7 assists per 36 minutes. Those are respectable numbers from a player who has spent his career balancing his responsibilities as a creator with his versatility as an off-ball scoring threat.

They’re also numbers that display an ability to put his teammates in a position to succeed, which few Knicks point guards in recent memory can say they’ve been able to do.

Come training camp, Jack can help Frank Ntilikina learn how to blend scoring instincts with facilitating duties. That’s a balance that Ntilikina will need to learn, and no one on the training camp roster can set a better example.

If Jack makes the cut and plays for the Knicks in 2017-18, then his facilitating abilities could be of significant short-term value, as well.

1. Competition Breeds Excellence

Frank Ntilikina isn’t going to be a superstar overnight, but that doesn’t mean the New York Knicks shouldn’t be pushing him early in his career. Thankfully, the same strategy that will help bring Ntilikina along in a gradual manner is one that will push him to improve.

With Ron Baker, Jarrett Jack, Chasson Randle, Xavier Rathan-Mayes, and Ramon Sessions joining Ntilikina in the fight for minutes at point guard, the competition in training camp could breed excellence.

The Knicks have six players competing for time at point guard, and only Baker is expected to see significant minutes at the 2. Thus, whoever emerges victorious in the race for minutes is likely to have outworked the players around them.

That may not necessarily mean that the starter will be a star-caliber contributor, or even a high-quality point guard, but it will send a necessary message to the younger players: Hard work pays off.

If Ntilikina earns the starting role, he’ll do so by outworking veterans who are hungry to prove they still belong, and young players looking to achieve job security. If he fails to, it will be a learning moment for the incoming rookie that name value only counts for so much.

No player is guaranteed to respond in the manner one might hope they will, but it’s a safe bet that Ntilikina will have to earn his keep under head coach Jeff Hornacek.

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The signing of Jarrett Jack may or may not move the needle, but it will help the New York Knicks build a stronger team moving forward.