The New York Knicks enter the NBA All-Star Break out of the playoff picture with a record of 23-34. How does their report card look?
- Current Record: 23-34 (12th seed)
- Offensive Rating: 15th
- Defensive Rating: 25th
- Net Rating: 24th
It was better when the New York Knicks were just bad. Like unwatchably bad. Then at least nobody would be paying attention.
That’s not the case this season. Now they’re a car crash that you can’t help but look at. At the NBA All-Star Break, the Knicks are a reality tv show featuring a trust fund billionaire owner and his petty feud with a bitter ex-player and a 71-year-old man fumbling with his Twitter account.
The Knicks are still searching for any possible answers to fix their disappointing season. Lineup changes, media outbursts, and even Carmelo Anthony‘s scoring onslaughts haven’t worked.
There many not be a fix with only 25 games remaining in another lost season, so with a week-long stoppage in the season we took the time to assess New York’s progress or lack thereof. Here’s a report card for the league’s most dramatic team.
Carmelo Anthony
- Position: Forward
- 2016-17 Averages: 34.0 MPG, 23.4 PPG, 6.0 RPG, 2.9 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.5 BPG
- 2016-17 Slash Line: .443/.378/.824
Carmelo Anthony is in the top 20 in scoring and has put up 30 or more points in 14 games. Despite all of the trade rumors surrounding and the endless criticism surrounding his selfish play, he remains one of the league’s best scorers.
It’s on defense where he can’t get the job done. Like the rest of New York’s roster, Melo can’t guard his own shadow. The ten-time All-Star is currently ranked 75th out of 80 qualified small forwards in ESPN’s defensive real plus-minus.
Anthony, 32, leads the team in minutes (34.0). That’s too much to ask of a player with that many miles on his legs. Wednesday’s loss at Oklahoma City was a perfect example. He played the entire first quarter and scored 19 points on 7 of 8 shooting then, showing clear signs of fatigue, played 27 of the remaining 36 minutes and went 4 of 12 with just 11 points.
Some Knicks fans will defend Anthony to the death while others want him out of town as much as Phil Jackson does. The truth is that he hasn’t been as good as his supporters or as bad his critics would have you believe.
The metrics don’t lie. Anthony’s been lethal on spot up plays this season. One of the best in the league. His effective field goal percentage is 62.1 percent, and he’s averaging 1.24 points per possession. That’s good for the 93rd percentile of efficiency.
The Knicks are a better offensive team with Melo on the floor. They score 106.4 points per 100 possessions with him (per NBA.com) and 102.6 points per 100 possessions when he sits. Defense is another story.
Anthony has a negative net rating (-5.1) because the team allows a whopping 111.6 points per 100 possessions when he’s on the floor. That’s the second-worst mark on the team. Melo’s supporters and critics each have valid points.
Grade: B-
Kristaps Porzingis
- Position: Power Forward
- 2016-17 Averages: 33.1 MPG, 18.3 PPG, 7.1 RPG, 2.0 BPG, 1.3 APG, 0.7 SPG
- 2016-17 Slash Line: .448/.384/.784
Before Kristaps Porzingis hurt his Achilles, he was playing at an All-Star level. In the first 35 games, he posted averages of 34.8 minutes, 20.1 points, 7.8 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, 1.3 assists, and 0.8 steals on a slash line of .452/.402/.788.
Fans were excited about the possibility of Porzingis heading to New Orleans. Since the injury, he’s in a tailspin. In 17 games his averages have dipped to 29.9 minutes, 14.9 points, and 5.6 rebounds on an average slash line of .439/.342/.774.
Porzingis’ three-point shooting has improved this season, and his field goal percentage has shot up because of it. It could be even higher.
After shooting 45.4 percent on long twos (two-point FGAs 16+ ft.) as a rookie, Porzingis is only 32.1 percent on those same attempts in 2016-17. If he gets healthy, he can turn that around.
It’s hard to take too many points off for his performance during an injury. You need to consider KP’s improvements. He put up an A+ effort when healthy.
Grade: B+
Derrick Rose
- Position: Point Guard
- 2016-17 Averages: 32.2 MPG, 17.7 PPG, 4.5 APG, 3.9 RPG, 0.7 SPG
- 2016-17 Slash Line: .462/.241/.865
Derrick Rose has been unusually efficient from the field, and his constant attacks at the rim have been a breath of fresh air for a team in desperate need of a player with that skill set.
The former MVP averages 10.3 drives per game (according to NBA.com) and scores 8.5 points per game on those drives.
For all the good he’s done the Knicks, Rose has hurt the team just as much. His low assist total (a career-low 4.5 per game) and pass percentage on drives (24.8 percent) make the point guard easier to guard.
It’s his defense that’s burying the Knicks. Rose is ranked 84th of the 88 qualified point guards in defensive real plus-minus. Of all the lazy Knick defenders he might be the laziest.
The 28-year-old checked out a long time ago. With his contract expiring at the end of the season, Rose is worried about his next deal. It could be his last chance at a big payday.
Grade: C+
Courtney Lee
- Position: Shooting Guard
- 2016-17 Averages: 31.3 MPG, 10.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, 2.1 APG, 0.9 SPG
- 2016-17 Slash Line: .457/.418/.840
Courtney Lee is exactly what the Knicks thought he’d be. A three-and-D wing who’s hovering right around his career averages in points and field goal percentage. Despite a lame supporting cast on that side of the ball, the 32-year-old still plays solid defense.
Lee’s three-point shooting has been a tremendous asset in his first season with New York. He’s currently tenth in the league in three-point percentage. The problem is that he was having a hard time adjusting to being number one option as a three-point shooter.
Lee is 99th in total three-point attempts. Therefore he’s 72nd in makes. Even while attempting a career-high 3.5 per game from downtown, his head coach is understandably asking him to put up more.
When you remove Lee’s numbers, the rest of the roster is a combined 35.3 percent from downtown. For his career, Lee averages less than three attempts from downtown per game.
Recently, Lee has begun to play more aggressive. Over the last ten games, he’s averaging 4.4 attempts. With the inconsistencies of New York’s offense, the team needs all the helps they can get.
Grade: B
Joakim Noah
- Position: Center
- 2016-17 Averages: 22.1 MPG, 5.0 PPG, 8.7 RPG, 2.2 APG, 0.8 BPG
- 2016-17 Slash Line: .495/.000/.436
Isiah Thomas might finally be able to get redemption over the Jerome James contract. Phil Jackson’s signing of Joakim Noah is shaping up to outdo all of Thomas’ failures.
Noah is not the defensive presence the Knicks paid $72 million for, and his ineptitude on offense has become even more apparent. The amount of putback attempts he just flails at and wildly misses is hard to believe.
Noah is 11th in putback plays (104) and just the 16th percentile of efficiency points per possession. The big man has missed 53 putback attempts and the Knicks score on just 42.3 percent of those possessions.
He wasn’t expected to score, but his passing was supposed to be an asset. Noah is averaging just 2.2 assists per game (his lowest total since the 2010-11 season) which ranks him fourth on the team.
According to NBA.com, Noah is just fifth on the team in passes made. For context, in the 2013-14 season when he led Chicago in assists (5.2) Noah was fourth in the entire league in passes made.
It’s been a brutal decline for Noah, and the Knicks should’ve seen it coming. The injury concerns about the former Defensive Player of the Year have proven to be justified. Noah has missed 11 games in total this season, including the last five due to a hamstring injury.
The 31-year-old is being outplayed by his younger backups, particularly Willy Hernangomez, on offense and defense. It makes sense that Hernangomez should replace Noah in the starting lineup. In the three starts, the rookie is averaging 11.7 points and 11.0 rebounds on 53.8 percent shooting.
Grade: D
The Bench
- Points: 32.6 (20th)
- Rebounds: 17.9 (6th)
- Assists: 8.5 (9th)
- Steals: 3.1 (10th)
- Blocks: 2.3 (4th)
New York’s bench is in the top-10 in nearly every major statistical category due in large part to the play of Willy Hernangomez and Brandon Jennings. Hernangomez is averaging 13.6 rebounds per-36 minutes, and Jennings leads the team in dishing.
The lack of scoring does put a lot of pressure on the starters. Jennings was supposed to be the No. 1 option off the bench, but he’s averaging just 8.7 points and shooting only 38.6 percent from the field.
He’s had just four games where he’s scored 20 or more points all season. Jennings was signed with the hope of being a Sixth Man of the Year Award candidate, but his defense prevents him from being on the floor for long stretches.
Hernangomez has been a pleasant surprise. He’s first among rookies in field goal percentage, second in rebounding and PER and third in double-doubles.
Justin Holiday has exceeded all expectations. The team plays better when he’s on the court. The 27-year-old has an on/off net rating difference of +6.2 points. He was a throw-in to make the Derrick Rose trade work, and now there’s a better chance he’ll be back with the team next season than Rose.
Mindaugas Kuzminskas has shown flashes of talent, but inconsistency from three-point range and weak defense will keep him from replacing Lance Thomas in the rotation.
Grade: C+
Review
Phil Jackson’s record as an executive with the Knicks is 72-149. The team is on pace to miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season after spending almost $130 million on free agents Joakim Noah, Courtney Lee, and Brandon Jennings.
If the Eastern Conference weren’t horrible, then 2016-17 would already be a complete failure for the Knicks. As it stands now, they’re only four games behind the eighth seed Detroit Pistons.
A desperate run at a first round playoff sweep is kind of sad, but that’s what this season has come to for the Knicks.