When the Knicks passed on making a big swing this offseason, ultimately returning essentially the same roster from last year, they made a bet on internal development to at least maintain the status quo, or reach new heights. 13 games into the new season, we’re already seeing that bet pay off, as key Knicks players display year-over-year growth many fans hoped to see.
Here are five improvements we’ve noticed early in the season.
RJ Barrett’s shooting efficiency
Not enough can be said about Barrett’s start to 2023, despite some missed time in between one of his best stretches of regular season basketball in the pros. His renewed commitment to defense, his improved playmaking and general feel for his place in the offense have all coalesced into a breakout year for the former third overall pick.
Perhaps no development has been more crucial than his shooting efficiency, however. Barrett’s never been shy using his physicality to drive or look for his own shot, but his newfound accuracy and IQ have elevated his game to a different level.
Barrett’s shooting career-highs from deep (46.7 percent) and the free throw line (84.2 percent) while falling just short of last year’s clip from two (47 percent). This is the result of his many reps over the years finally paying dividends, but also his NBA experience growing.
Where we once saw flashes of his floater, or pull-up game, or finishing, he seems to have a full understanding of when to utilize each, boosting his output. It’s not premeditated or overthought, but instinctual in a way the best scorers share.
Jalen Brunson’s deep ball
It’s hard to pinpoint areas of improvement for a guy after he delivers the best season of point guard play in a franchise’s last 30-something years, but much of the optimism surrounding Brunson was based on him being able to do even more. We’re seeing that now, not just on the defensive end, but from behind the arc.
Despite Brunson’s 41.6 percent three-point clip last year, he only attempted 4.7 a game, 1.9 of which out of the catch-and-shoot. The playoffs forced him to become even more of a self-creator, bumping his three-point output to 7.3 a game, with only 2.1 out of the spot-up.
He’s carried that approach over to the new year, attempting 6.8 threes a night with a near 50/50 split on the type of attempts. Only he’s knocking down a ridiculous 47.8 percent of his pull-up threes, numbers prime Stephen Curry would blush at.
We’ve seen him walk into top-of-key bombs over switched bigs, and calmly sink them off high pick-and-rolls as well. The number will certainly cool, but if the shot selection sticks and he’s able to maintain a threatening clip off these attempts, it’ll add a whole new dynamic defenses need to worry about.
Mitchell Robinson’s defensive IQ
Remember when the long-armed, jumpy young Robinson would foul himself out of games incessantly, leaving doubts whether he would fully capture his potential and figure NBA defenses out? That feels like years ago, as this season Robinson looks as poised and as locked into his role as ever.
The Knicks are allowing the fewest attempts within six feet in the league, in no small part due to Robinson’s impact around the rim. We’re seeing more of it as we see more of Robinson, who has been in foul trouble once this season and whose foul rate is at a career low, a massive 40 percent decrease from last season.
There’s a lot more to Robinson’s special start to the year. If he keeps this up, he could be looking at Defensive Player of the Year buzz.
Julius Randle’s shot profile
Randle’s tenure with the Knicks has been a constant evolution, from exploding into an All-NBA player in year two, to overcoming his internal mental hurdles to regain that honor and help his team make the second round of the playoffs. There are some fun throughlines to follow over the years, one of which being his transition away from the least efficient shots in the game.
Randle absolutely loved the mid-range when he first joined the Knicks, attempting 17.7 percent of his looks between 16 feet out and the three-point line in 2020-21. However with long twos generally resulting in the worst points per shot available on the court, Randle’s worked to temper those attempts, shooting 14.3 percent of his field goals from there in 2022, 6.8 percent in 2023, and now 4.7 percent to start this season.
As his game moves more towards the three, paint, and free throw line, expect his efficiency to follow, still climbing after a rough start.
Immanuel Quickley’s pull-up threes
In a similar vein to Brunson’s improvement, Quickley is generating better looks on his off-the-dribble threes, nailing 37.1 percent of them this season after only converting on 35 percent or lower his past three seasons. It’s not a resounding improvement, but adds a deadly scoring element to an already-improving two-point scoring package.
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