NY Knicks: Free agents that address NY’s least efficient play types

Fact: The NY Knicks shocked the basketball world by earning the 4th seed in the Eastern Conference during the 2020-2021 regular season.

Also fact: The New York Knicks were 23rd in the league in Points Per Possession. The team averaged 1.10 points per possession, which was below the league average of 1.12.

I know that seems like a small difference, but keep in mind this is the average. For comparison, the Utah Jazz led the league at 1.18 points per possession. Adding fractions can make a huge difference here.

If the Knicks want to improve on this year’s result, the team needs to find a way to maintain the defensive intensity (1.08 points per possession, good for third in the league) while addressing the weak spots in their offensive attack.

One way the Knicks could approach their offensive ineptitudes would be to analyze which play types left the most points out on the floor.

Who should the NY Knicks sign to fill in their weakest play types?

There were some play types this year that served as bright spots to drive the offense.

For example, the Knicks were in the top third of the league in points per possession on spot-up shots at 1.06.

The team was also fairly efficient with Iso scoring by league standards, coming in at the 55th percentile.

It should be noted that both of those figures dipped in the playoffs, though. The Knicks were the least efficient isolation-scoring team in the post-season by a considerable margin, and only three teams ranked lower than them on spot-ups in the playoffs.

It’s never a happy omen when your strengths become weaknesses when the games matter most.

Still, isolation and spot-ups were strong play types for the Knicks during the regular season.

There were three clear areas for growth, however. Adding some key free agents might bolster the Knicks’ offense.