Three-Point Shooting Has Been Key to Knicks Surge

The New York Knicks have been one of, if not the best offensive team in the NBA through 22 games. While the defense was sluggish through the first 10 to 15 games or so, the Knicks have consistently been a top offensive team.

Traditional and advanced stats back up what has made this team so successful on one side of the floor. New York holds the top offensive rating in the league at 121.6, even above the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have a league-best 21 wins so far. The offense has carried the Knicks’ top-four net rating (7.7), averaging 118.3 points per game (sixth).

Perhaps the biggest factor in the Knicks’ offense has been three-point shooting. They don’t take a lot of threes, averaging 36.1 per game (17th), but have been incredibly efficient in shot selection. New York is top 10 in threes made per game (14.5) and second in three-point percentage (40.1%).

A contributing factor to the improved shooting is the addition of Karl-Anthony Towns. Last season, the Knicks had some offensive holes at the center position through the first half of the regular season, as Mitchell Robinson did not have the skill set to shoot outside of the paint. More of the same could be said for now-Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein, who took over the starting center job later in the season.

In October, New York pulled off a blockbuster trade to get Towns, but it’s paid off so far. Towns has added another dimension to the Knicks offense, shooting an incredible 45% from deep, ranking 14th in the league. Not far behind him are the bench duo of Cameron Payne and Miles McBride, shooting 44.1% and 43.5% from three respectively.

In fact, of the seven Knicks players playing more than 15 minutes per game, six are shooting above 39% from three. Mikal Bridges, who has been the only player to start the season struggling in the shooting department, is still averaging 16.5 points.

There’s hope that the Knicks’ defense will improve, but it’s relieving to see the offense hold up and keep this team toward the top of the conference. New York is a problem for any team when its players have the ball.

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