Since Game 5 of the 2026 NBA Finals, things haven’t gone all that well for the New York Knicks. Now, obviously, the Summer League outings in July and their four preseason games have had significantly less at stake. They went 1-4 in Las Vegas and have now lost their first four preseason contests, with one remaining on Thursday.
The Knicks are coming off a postseason where they blitzed the opposition and shot remarkably well from 3-point range. That hasn’t been the case in the preseason. Preseason overreactions are often just that, but the 3-point shooting has fallen off a cliff.
Can’t buy a bucket from deep
New York rested their entire starting lineup in Tuesday’s preseason matchup with the Toronto Raptors. The result was an ugly 50-point loss, dropping their record to 0-4.
Not much should be read into the performance—although it would have been nice to see some of their depth pieces perform better. It was a miserable night from beyond the arc, as they went 7-for-41 (17.1%).
That continues the poor 3-point shooting the Knicks have encountered in the preseason. In the four games, the Knicks have made just 34 of their 152 3-point attempts (22.4%). They haven’t even reached 30% accuracy in any preseason outing.
Landry Shamet has been by far the most accurate among the 13 players with more than five attempts, at 5-for-11. Players who have struggled include Miles McBride (2-17), Jalen Brunson (4-15), Tyler Nickel (2-13), Mohamed Diawara (3-11), Karl-Anthony Towns (3-10), Tyler Kolek (2-9), OG Anunoby (1-8), and Jose Alvarado (0-7).
That’s far different than the Knicks' playoff run last season. In their 19 postseason contests, they led all playoff teams with their 39.1% 3-point accuracy. Anunoby, Towns, and Shamet all shot well over 40%.
No worries unless it drags into regular season
Look, it’s preseason. It is reasonable for New York to start slowly, coming off their first championship in 53 years. It cannot be easy to come with the requisite energy to perform well in games that don’t mean anything in the standings.
It becomes more of a concern if the Knicks remain off the mark from 3-point range over the first 10 or so games of the regular season. They have tough matchups over that stretch, including home games against the Philadelphia 76ers, Orlando Magic, and Detroit Pistons, as well as road outings against the Boston Celtics, 76ers, and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Struggling from outside could lead to a disappointing start to the regular season. It would be a good sign going into the regular season if the Knicks end their preseason schedule on Thursday by knocking down 3-pointers with some regularity.
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