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2016 NBA Free Agency: 10 Under-The-Radar Players The New York Knicks Should Target

5. Jerryd Bayless (PG-MIL)

  • Unrestricted
  • 2015-16 Stats: 10.4 points, 3.1 assists, .423/.437/.778

The Milwaukee Bucks’ Jerryd Bayless has had what ESPN’s Zach Lowe would call a “sneaky good” year. Bayless’ exceptional play has flown completely under the radar thanks to Milwaukee’s struggles.

The departure of Greivis Vasquez left a huge hole in the backcourt and put too much pressure on Michael Carter-Williams. With Carter-Williams falling short of expectations (to put it kindly) the Bucks needed another point guard to step up, and Bayless did.

Most people are pointing to Bayless’ incredible shooting percentage from downtown, but the variety of ways in which he he’s impacting the game on offense is more impressive.

Yes, Bayless is in the 95th percentile of points per possession on spot up plays, but he’s also been exceptional on iso, as he’s in the 81st percentile (via NBA Stats).

Like Augustin, Bayless would only be a stop gap but he’d be an excellent one that Jerian Grant could learn a lot from. Bayless has been around the block and will have plenty of teams chasing after him this summer.

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I'm ESNY's Executive Editor for EliteSportsNY.com. I cover the New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets. Email: chip.murphy@elitesportsny.com Chip Murphy covers the NBA for Elite Sports NY. You can find him on Twitter @ChipperMurphy.