Despite a relatively successful 2022-23 season, the Knicks ended their year in playoff misery. While they certainly defied any expectations they were given throughout the season, that doesn’t mean that the Knicks didn’t disappoint during their second-round exit to the Miami Heat.
In this series, we saw many of the Knicks’ flaws exploited. These were problems in the regular season already, but once it became time for the postseason, these little issues had disastrous consequences.
Going into the 2023-24 season, the Knicks and Tom Thibodeau must improve upon these four statistics to increase their chances of making a potential finals appearance. If they fail to do so, we could see a similar end to the Knicks’ season with yet another embarrassing playoff exit.
4 stats the Knicks must improve heading into the 2023-24 season
4. Free throw percentage
It has seemingly become a meme in the Knicks and NBA community that New York has a free throw problem. This haunted fans in both the regular season and playoffs, as the Knicks were a bottom 10 team in this statistic throughout both sections of the year.
During the regular season, New York averaged 25.5 free throw attempts per game, which ranked third in the league. Despite this, the Knicks hit just 76.1% of these attempts, ranking 22nd amongst teams. While several playoff teams, such as the Grizzlies and Nuggets, shot a similar percentage, both teams saw an increase once it became time for the playoffs.
The Knicks did not fare so well. During their 11 games in the postseason, New York shot 74.6% from the line on a playoff-high 26.8 attempts. So, while averaging the most attempts of any team, the Knicks shot the third-worst percentage, which is unacceptable. Entering next season, this issue cannot persist if the Knicks wish to make a serious run at a championship.
On paper, free throws may not seem too important, but when a team takes so many and misses as much as the Knicks do, it becomes a serious problem. New York has the talent to get to the line; they just have to see an increase in the ability to hit said free throws. Players like Mitchell Robinson, Julius Randle, and RJ Barrett must see marginal improvement from this spot to maximize the team’s capabilities.
3. Assists per game
Despite having some solid playmaking talent in both the front and backcourt, the Knicks didn’t have as good of a season assist-wise as you’d think. While having a “true point guard” isn’t exactly a good thing in the modern NBA, it wouldn’t hurt the Knicks to help Jalen Brunson be more of a play initiator.
This isn’t slander for Brunson, as he is already a very solid playmaker, but if he can take the leap from solid to good or even great, New York would benefit.
Last season, the Knicks averaged 22.9 assists per game which ranked 28th in the NBA. Considering that most of the top playoff teams, including those who went far, ranked in the top 15, it’s pretty clear that New York must improve.
How can they do this? It’s actually relatively simple. We all know Tom Thibodeau loves his freelance set offensively or the occasional dribble handoff. However, if he’d run more inclusive plays that feature backdoor cuts, off-ball screens, and just general off-ball movement, we’d see an instant increase in assist numbers. Alongside this, the team’s offense would also be much more reliable.
This especially needs to happen in the playoffs, as the Knicks’ assist per-game numbers dropped to 18.7, ranking last amongst teams in the postseason. Thibodeau’s freelance offense became too predictable and easy to stop. Throw in some off-ball movements or cuts, though, and it will be much harder to contain.
Many of the best teams in the NBA function off this sort of offense. For example, the Warriors and Nuggets have become specialists and are known for their elite off-ball play. New York may not have the talent of either team, but the blueprint is there, and we know the Knicks have a few great shooters that can help make this work.
2. Three-point percentage
This could be why we saw the Knicks go out in such embarrassing fashion in the playoffs. While there were several factors going into that loss, none may be bigger than how poorly New York shot from behind the arc.
During the regular season, the Knicks shot 35.7 threes per game, which ranked eighth in the NBA. Despite this, they shot just 35.4% from range, ranking 19th. The Knicks may not be stacked with shooting talent, but this number certainly isn’t a good thing to see. To make things even worse, after a mediocre shooting season, New York just about collapsed from three in the playoffs.
In 11 games, the Knicks shot 32.7 threes a game, hitting a playoff low 29.2% of them. In the modern NBA, no team is going to see high-level success when shooting the ball so poorly. However, even with the core the Knicks currently have, this problem can easily be fixed.
This, in a way, relates to the previously mentioned assist numbers. If the Knicks run more off-ball oriented plays to get shooters open, shots will fall at a higher rate. This means no more possessions where Randle or Brunson dribble the ball for the majority of the shot clock to either pass at the last second or take a tough shot. It may work in the regular season, but for Randle, at least, it gets shut down in the playoffs.
Another thing that would go a long way is for certain players to simply shoot fewer threes. For example, there was no reason for Randle to shoot 8.3 threes and Barrett to take 5.3 of his own per game last season. This gets worse when you consider that actual good shooters like Brunson and Grimes only took 4.7 and 5.7 a game, respectively. Not only will those two shooting fewer threes help the team, but their own percentages will rise as well.
1. Pace
While having the fastest pace in the league isn’t the end all be all for a team, it would undoubtedly help New York to run a much quicker offense, given their personnel. While giving Brunson, Randle, and Barrett their consistent isolation plays is nice to watch, the offense would be much more efficient without running them all the time.
Last season, the Knicks ranked 26th in pace with 97.75 possessions per game. While some of the better teams in the league, like the Nuggets, Cavaliers, and 76ers, have similar numbers, they have very different personnel that makes it possible to run a slower yet efficient offense. While the Knicks can and have been doing this, it certainly seems like the team would benefit by speeding things up a bit.
Whether it be using Randle and Barrett in the off-ball more, not running the shot clock out several possessions a game, or even getting out in transition faster, it’s very possible to see change starting early next season.
The offense doesn’t have to change drastically, but small changes need to happen if the Knicks want to make their championship push. Allowing Brunson, Randle, and Barrett to dribble the shot clock out every possession is not going to get the Knicks far in the playoffs. Hopefully, we will see Thibodeau introduce more off-ball screens and cuts to free up shooters and take advantage of New York’s talent.
11 Player signings the New York Knicks never should’ve made
The New York Knicks have always had the advantage of using "The Big Apple" as a way to attract free agents. Sometimes, they just sign the wrong players.