New York Knicks should make signing Davis Bertans a top priority

The New York Knicks should make signing Davis Bertans a top priority during the 2020 NBA offseason.

The ultimate goal for the New York Knicks is to find a franchise player who can lead the organization back to prominence. That would not only simplify the game for the players who are currently on the roster, but make it easier to appeal to free agents.

True as that may be, the Knicks have spent the better part of the past 20 years making home run swings, only to end up with a painfully high number of strikeouts.

In other words: The Knicks need to build from the ground up.

The current roster has intriguing pieces abound, including RJ Barrett, Kevin Knox, Frank Ntilikina, and Mitchell Robinson. There are also two quality prospects with the G League affiliate in Westchester in Ignas Brazdeikis and Kenny Wooten, as well as multiple incoming draft picks.

That implies that that the Knicks are headed in the right direction, but it also displays one critical truth: Every move from here on out must be made with precision.

New York could go star-hunting, as it has so many times before, but it’s worth questioning if a true franchise player would be available on the open market. It could also go all-in on the rebuild, prioritizing the youth movement above all else.

Thankfully, there’s a common ground to be found between the rebuild and the desire for proven talent with veteran-level experience.

The process of blending those two visions could begin with current Washington Wizards power forward Davis Bertans.

Without a shred of hyperbole, the Knicks are the worst three-point shooting team in the NBA. New York ranks dead last in three-point field goals made per game and finds itself in the bottom third of the league in three-point field goal percentage, as well.

As such, there’s a glaring and obvious need to add shooting to a roster that otherwise possesses a great deal of potential.

Bertans may not be a cure-all, but he might be the best option to help this team find its offensive identity. He’s one of the best shooters in the Association today, as well as a player who can help others around him improve.

That all begins with the fact that Bertans would be a stylistic improvement over Julius Randle at power forward.

Randle may be the better all-around talent, but Bertans would open new doors for New York’s core two players: Barrett and Robinson.

Through four NBA seasons, Bertans has converted 508 three-point field goals on 41.1 percent shooting. In 2019-20, he’s already set a new career-high with 200 makes in just 54 appearances—or, for those who prefer averages, 3.7 conversions per game.

That has inevitably helped Bradley Beal develop into one of the most well-rounded scorers in the NBA, as power forwards routinely abandon the paint to cover the floor-spacing Bertans.

For the Knicks, Bertans could be the player who helps Barrett and Robinson tap into their offensive potential. Barrett is a downhill player who thrives when he’s penetrating off the bounce and finishing around the rim.

Robinson, meanwhile, is an oustanding offensive rebounder—No. 8 in both offensive rebound percentage and offensive rebounds per game—who can create second chances for himself and others.

With Bertans operating as the prototypical stretch 4, Barrett would have more room to drive and Robinson more opportunities to rebound.

Randle has his strengths, but the Knicks will struggle to create a consistent offense without spacing. In 2019-20, the Knicks often rolled out lineups with five players who struggle from distance: Elfrid Payton, Barrett, Knox, Randle, and Robinson.

Knox is believed to be a better shooter than his woeful percentages have displayed in 2019-20, but the weakness remains.

By adding Bertans at the 4-spot, the Knicks would immediately improve the quality of spacing and shooting on the floor. More importantly: Bertans is such a knockdown presence, and Robinson such a dominant rebounder, that rotations will inevitably occur.

That would help create more open shots for the likes of Barrett, Knox, and Ntilikina, who should improve with lighter contests from defenders.

That only occurs, however, with a threat on the floor whom both coaches and players need to plan for.

It’s also worth noting that Bertans has proven that he doesn’t need a traditional facilitator in order to catch fire from beyond the arc. The San Antonio Spurs ran more of a team-oriented offense, whereas the Washington Wizards play more through Beal than any of their point guards.

As such, a New York Knicks team that already has Barrett and Ntilikina, and may end up drafting a point guard this coming June, could be an ideal fit.

If the New York Knicks somehow manage to sign both Joe Harris and Davis Bertans, it could result in one of the team’s most successful offseasons of the past 20 years.