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New York Knicks: The Case for Signing DeMar DeRozan in Free Agency

By Zachary Bachar

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 23: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) DeMar DeRozan #10 of the San Antonio Spurs in action against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on November 23, 2019 in New York City. The Spurs defeated the Knicks 111-104. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph , user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 23: (NEW YORK DAILIES OUT) DeMar DeRozan #10 of the San Antonio Spurs in action against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on November 23, 2019 in New York City. The Spurs defeated the Knicks 111-104. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph , user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images) /
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DeMar DeRozan, NY Knicks (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Knicks Can Live With Shooting Woes

The main knock on DeRozan for his entire career is his three-point shooting or lack thereof. He’s just a career 28% shooter from behind the arc. Unlike his passing and mid-range arsenal, that still hasn’t improved with age.

However, the Knicks could actually be one of the best teams set up to alleviate any potential spacing problems that may arise. After struggling to be a decent shooting team for years, New York currently ranks 6th in three-point percentage.

That number should remain the same and even improve as the Knicks will likely add a starting point guard that can shoot in free agency. They’ve also seen three-point shooting jumps from Randle (28% to 41%) and Barrett (32% to 38%). Not to mention the team will still have sharpshooting rookie Immanuel Quickley.

A major reason behind the teams’ drastic increase has been Tom Thibodeau’s infatuation with taking corner threes, something he stressed in training camp. For all of his struggles, DeRozan has been a surprisingly solid shooter from that distance. He’s connected on just over 36% of his corner threes for his career.

There’s so much that DeMar DeRozan offers for the Knicks both on and off the court that it would be silly to discard him as an option in free agency because of his subpar perimeter shooting. He’s a high-level player that the Knicks can acquire without inking a max contract or giving up a boatload of picks.

He should be one of the top priorities for the team this summer.

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