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The New York Knicks had one of the worst offenses in the league, scoring only 107 points per game, to make them the fourth lowest-scoring team in the NBA. The Knicks' defense was the best in the league, so it was a significant factor in being the fifth seed in the playoffs last season. Julius Randle and RJ Barrett would do just enough on offense to win the games they needed to.
However, in the playoffs, it was clear that if the New York Knicks wanted any postseason success, they would need to add more talent and expand their offense. The Knicks added talent to the offense by signing Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier. Both should have an immediate impact on this team, providing more shooting and playmaking. That said, let's take a look at three ways the Knicks can run their offense this season.
#1 The New York Knicks play the same as last year, but just better
Last season, the New York Knicks offense ran through Julius Randle. Randle averaged 24.1 points and six assists per game, leading the Knicks in both of those statistics. On top of that, his usage percentage was up to 29.3, his career-high.
Randle did get some help from Barrett and Derrick Rose, who were the next two highest scorers on the team. Barrett averaged 17.6 points per game on 23.4 usage, and Rose averaged 14.9 on 24.3 usage.
Despite that, when the playoffs started, it was clear the Knicks needed some help on offense. Randle lost his shooting touch, shooting 30% from the field throughout the five playoff games, while Barrett is still a sophomore in the NBA and played like one. Rose was the player that stood out on offense, leading the team in scoring in the playoffs with 19.4 points.
The biggest issue was clear: the Knicks did not have a second playmaker or shot creator on the team. Randle pretty much ran the offense, and no one other than him averaged more than five assists.
Walker can come in and improve that by being the second primary ball-handler and has averaged 5.4 assists in his career. Even though Fournier doesn’t have the assist numbers, averaging 2.8 for his career, he has become more of a ball-handler over the last few years. Furthermore, both can get their own shots, as both averaged more than 15 points a game last season. The Knicks signed Walker and Fournier to replace Reggie Bullock and Elfrid Payton, an upgrade on offense.
#2 The New York Knicks play through their new guards
Both Walker and Fournier have been key scoring options for their respected teams over their NBA careers. Even though Walker has had injuries reduce his playing time, he still scored 19.3 points per game.
While being on the Orlando Magic at the start of the season, Fournier was averaging 19.7 points per game, but then when he joined the Celtics, his scoring output dropped to 13. However, last season Fournier had one of his best shooting years, shooting 46% from the field and 41% from three.
Even though Randle ran the show last season, the New York Knicks could shift to having their new guards be the primary ball-handlers. Kemba has done that his entire career by carrying the Charlotte Hornets however far he could. Fournier was on his way to a career season before being traded to the Celtics, in which he had to take a back seat to other players.
On top of that, Kemba and Fournier had already played together for the Celtics last season. Maybe there is a connection between the two that can come out when the season starts.
We also saw how badly a 100% focused Randle offense can turn. Randle should not have to give up a lot of responsibilities on offense, but not needing him to be dominant 100% of the time might be good. Kemba and Fournier can take that massive load off of Randle’s shoulders which might help them in the long run for the playoffs.
#3 The New York Knicks can take more threes
Despite having the third-highest three-point percentage last season, at 39%, they had the third-lowest attempts per game, at just 11.8. Randle was the only person to attempt over six threes a game and made them 41% of the time. Barrett also took a big leap in his three-point shooting, going from 32% on 3.5 attempts to 40% on 4.3 attempts.
Kemba and Fournier should both have an immediate impact on the Knicks' three-point attempts. Walker took 8.2 shots per game while Fournier 6.1, putting them both in the top three of three-point shooting for the Knicks last season.
Fournier did have an efficient shooting season last season, but Walker struggled. Walker shot only 36% from three, which is lower than the Knicks did last season. Walker just got off to a slow shooting start, and a lot of his injury history went into that. Walker was able to get back in line with 38% from three, which is closer to what he has been doing in recent seasons.
Even if the shooting numbers drop, just taking the threes might make NBA defenses respect their shooting more. Randle needs to attack the rim, and when there is more spacing on the floor, that makes it easier for him. Walker and Fournier can help provide that, making it easier for everyone to score in the paint.
