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Knicks: 3 ways to unlock New York’s offensive potential

By Brad Dressler

Jan 15, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley (5) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Lamar Stevens (8) during the fourth quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 15, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley (5) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Lamar Stevens (8) during the fourth quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jan 15, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New York Knicks guard Immanuel Quickley (5) drives to the basket against Cleveland Cavaliers forward Lamar Stevens (8) during the fourth quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports /

How the New York Knicks can unlock their offense.

Start spreading the news! As this is being written, the New York Knicks are currently on a 3-game winning streak with a very winnable matchup against the Sacramento Kings — Fingers crossed they pull this one out too.

After crushing the Boston Celtics by 30 points and just nearly beating the Orlando Magic after a huge 4th quarter bounce-back effort, the Knicks managed to parlay a very up-and-down first half into a huge win in dominant fashion, beating the Warriors on the road by 15 points.

It seems the Knicks are starting to adjust to the zone defenses that have plagued them during their 5-game losing skid. Throughout their losses, the Knicks have maintained their elite-level defense, and leading the league in several defensive categories.

The major differences between their recent wins and losses have been the emergence of RJ Barrett’s near All-Star level of play and improved 3-point scoring. Over the Knicks’ 5 straight losses, they shot just 32% combined from deep. They also shot poorly against the Magic at a measly 18.5% from 3-point range, but managed to pull off the win with their defense, exclusively. The Knicks shot a whopping 39% and 46% as a team against the Celtics and Warriors, respectively, which has helped them tremendously during their current streak.

Through the last 3 games, RJ Barrett is currently averaging 23 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 4 assists. He’s doing so while hitting 17 of his 20 free throw attempts which equates to 85% — a massive improvement over his 61% from his rookie season. What’s most remarkable is that he’s hitting 53% of his shots over the last 3 games, compared to his season’s average of just under 41%, and is shooting 40% from deep over his last 3 contests as opposed to 23% for the year.

This leads me to why I believe the Knicks truly need an upgrade at the point guard position, as it will help unlock the offense even more so. Elfird Payton may best defender and rebounder we have at the 1-spot while scoring a career-high 13.3 points per game, but I feel we can get similar production from other players that would better facilitate the offense.

Here are 3 ways the Knicks can upgrade at the point guard spot and help unlock the offense’s true potential.

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