New York Knicks potential point guard: Lonzo Ball
After a shaky first two years in the NBA, the former number two overall pick is finally starting to get his career back on track with the New Orleans Pelicans. The 23-year old guard averaged 14.6 points and 5.7 assists per game this past season while shooting a respectable 37.8% from three. He’ll be a restricted free agent this offseason, meaning that New Orleans has the ability to keep him as a Pelican by matching any offer he receives.
He’s always been a stout defender and his ability to space the floor would be extremely beneficial for Julius Randle and RJ Barrett, but there are still some concerns.
Ball can sometimes be unselfish to a fault, hardly ever driving into the paint and settling for jumpers on the perimeter instead. In fact, he’s shared most of his minutes as an off-ball guard alongside a lead ball-handler such as Jrue Holiday and Eric Bledsoe.
The Knicks need shooting, but they also need someone who can create their own offense. Derrick Rose was such a huge help off the bench because of his ability to manufacture scoring opportunities for himself and attack the rim repeatedly. The same cannot be said just yet for the young guard.
Over 66% of Lonzo Ball’s made field goals came off of assists this season, an extremely high rate for a point guard. For reference, just 36% of Rose’s made field goals were assisted this year.
Ball is still very young with lots of room to improve and he’s already shown an ability to become a better basketball player with time. He may not be the perfect fit at this very moment, but it wouldn’t be the end of the world if the Knicks brought him in either.
Team fit level: 6