3 reasons the Knicks should draft Josh Christopher

Josh Christopher’s scoring ability would give the Knicks a boost

While Christopher wasn’t always a consistent shooter, he can score from all three levels with ease and he can create his own shot, especially when slashing into the paint.

Christopher shot 43% from the field and 30% from three at ASU. While at times he struggled with his shot selection and streaky shooting, he showed he has knockdown shooting capability and can shoot from range.

It’s no secret that the Knicks need three-point shooters, so while 30% from beyond-the-arc doesn’t look good at first glance I would argue it’s not much to be concerned about. Many of the other guards in the conversation for the Knicks selection have also struggled from three in the past.

Christopher’s situation at Arizona State also did not help his shooting as he was surrounded by multiple ball-dominant guards, so he wasn’t always able to create his own shot which is what he is best at.

Christopher’s shooting mechanics are good which means improvements shouldn’t be difficult and I would argue his 30% from three is mostly due to poor shot selection which can easily be improved upon.

Christopher also proved on multiple occasions that he is plenty capable of heating up from deep, such as his 18-point performance against Arizona in January where he shot 75% from three in a close loss.

His shooting has also looked good at the NBA combine where he scored an impressive 28 points in one of the 5-on-5 scrimmages.

After the improved shooting showed this past season by both Julius Randle and RJ Barrett, I don’t have much concern over the NY Knicks’ ability to help Christopher make any necessary improvements to his shooting.ERT

Where Christopher really impressed was his ability to create his own shot off the dribble.

He’s a fantastic slasher and once he gets in the paint, Christopher is a strong finisher around the rim, in part because of his size and athleticism. He showed on multiple occasions in college that he was able to finish through contact in the paint, even with bigger defenders coming to contest him.

In the playoffs, the Knicks struggled because they didn’t have enough players that could create a shot for themself. Julius Randle is usually capable of that but when he struggled against the Hawks, the only player the Knicks could go to for a bucket was Derrick Rose (and Alec Burks in game 1).

Having another player that can come off the bench and get a bucket on their own or create space for another player with their dribbling will be crucial for the Knicks in future playoffs, and while Christopher might not be able to do that day one, I think with some NBA minutes and time learning from D-Rose, he’ll turn into a potent NBA scorer.