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NY Knicks: 3 veteran point guards to target this offseason

By Mark Nilon

TAMPA, FLORIDA - JANUARY 18: Kyle Lowry #7 of the Toronto Raptors brings the ball up during a game against the Dallas Mavericks at Amalie Arena on January 18, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) 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.
TAMPA, FLORIDA - JANUARY 18: Kyle Lowry #7 of the Toronto Raptors brings the ball up during a game against the Dallas Mavericks at Amalie Arena on January 18, 2021 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) 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. /
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NY Knicks (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images)
NY Knicks (Photo by Alex Goodlett/Getty Images) /

NY Knicks veteran point guard target No. 2) Mike Conley

After having himself a fantastic season serving as the starting point guard for the Utah Jazz — one that nabbed him the first All-Star nod of his career and the second seed in the Western Conference standings –, Mike Conley comes into 2021’s free agent period viewed as one of the top available names and, according to recent buzz, the NY Knicks are interested in pursuing the veteran.

Reported by NBA Analysis Network’s Evan Massey earlier this month, New York could prove to be a real option for the point guard this summer and was even referred to as “the biggest threat to sign Conley away from Utah in free agency.”

Frankly, there’s a lot to like about the 33-year-old’s fit with this current core.

Obviously, as brushed upon earlier, Leon Rose and co. should be looking to bolster the team’s point guard rotation, as it was rather pedestrian for the better part of 2020-21.

That said, finding the right fit is vital, and given NY’s desire to use Julius Randle as a point forward, adding a guard who is just as comfortable playing off-ball as he is on-ball should be priority No. 1.

This past season, while sharing possessions with Donovan Mitchell as the team’s lead ball-handler, Conley didn’t seem phased as he still went on to produce quite admirably, posting 16.2 points, six assists, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.4 steals a game on 44 percent shooting from the floor and a career-high 41 percent shooting from deep.

When it comes to the Knicks, they love to run drive-and-kick sets quite often with Randle serving as the distributor, so it’s also imperative that they bring on players who can effectively convert on catch-and-shoot opportunities.

This past season, in regard to effective field goal percentage on such attempts, Conley managed to convert his shots at a +60 percent clip. With the Knicks, of those who logged over 1000 minutes this year, only three players logged a similar shooting percentage.

If you want a passer, Conley is a quality option.

If you want a scorer, Conley is a quality option.

If you want an upgrade at the point guard position, Conley is a quality option.

If the price is right, Conley is a quality option.