Daily Knicks
Fansided

1 area of improvement for each key Knicks player in 2022-23

By James Ryder

NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 02: RJ Barrett #9 of the New York Knicks dribbles up court during the first quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies on February 2, 2022 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. 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 Rich Graessle/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - FEBRUARY 02: RJ Barrett #9 of the New York Knicks dribbles up court during the first quarter against the Memphis Grizzlies on February 2, 2022 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. 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 Rich Graessle/Getty Images) /
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New York Knicks, Immanuel Quickley
Immanuel Quickley, New York Knicks. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

What should each Knicks guard focus on improving?

Jalen Brunson: Three-point shot creation/volume

Perhaps the best way to describe Jalen Brunson as a player is solid because he does just about everything well. So, based on that assessment, it makes sense that Brunson has displayed a solid three-point jump shot.

Brunson shot 37.3% from deep on 3.2 3PA last season with Dallas. As Brunson looks to further develop his game, I think the one thing that could elevate his game is for him to become a better all-around shooter from three-point land.

On pull-up three-pointers last season, Brunson shot just 31.3% on only one attempt per game. I’d love to see him get his attempts up to around 2.5, which would put him roughly right in between Immanuel Quickley (3.4) and RJ Barrett (1.3).

And, of course, he can’t improve on this shot necessarily unless he is taking them in games. Brunson only shot pull-up threes 7.9% of the time last season. If Brunson can improve his ability to make the long ball off of the dribble, and even if he just continues to shoot a good percentage on a higher volume, then it would be a fantastic complement to the rest of his offensive game.

He’s already a great penetrator and mid-range shooter, so unlocking another level of his three-point shot would make him a fantastic three-level scoring threat.

Derrick Rose: Nothing

Sorry to possibly disappoint you, but I would hope most people agree with me on this. It would be unfair to ask Rose to improve at this stage of his career.

I obviously can’t ask him to be healthier, nor can I ask him to defer to Quickley and ask Tom Thibodeau for fewer minutes. I have nothing against him, but if I had it my way, Rose would have been traded yesterday. However, he is here right now and I can only appreciate his experience as a veteran and hope that he helps the young guys grow. Hopefully, he leads us to some wins, too.

Immanuel Quickley: Efficiency

For as electric as Quickley can be, it doesn’t happen very often. IQ struggled to score and shoot for very long stretches in his sophomore season. He struggled with efficiency as a rookie too, despite offense being his strength.

His first and second-year stats are nearly identical. There was a clear drop-off in his marksmanship from three, but an uptick in his 2PT FG%, so it sort of balanced out. Thankfully, quality shot selection has never been a fault of his, and he remained a constant when looking at combinations of players who had the best box plus/minus on the team, so I think he will find success sooner than later with his efficiency.

Even though he clearly has a positive impact on winning for New York, this doesn’t mean he can keep playing this way. Making this leap is the difference between him establishing himself as a reliable, starting caliber guard and pigeonholing himself in the backup/sixth man role he’s in now as his career continues.

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