Melo, Knicks Dunking Their Way To .500

The New York Knicks’ ephemeral highs are deep enough to instill hope in their fan base but their lows drag on long enough to remind them they are still, indeed, rebuilding. The Knicks have held records of 8-6, 10-14, 14-14, and 15-19 thus far.

Their current surge has hoisted them to 19-20. Their current surge flamed from a vertical spark as their 23 dunks in that time span ranks second in the league. Their current surge might be their most convincing yet. Since third day of 2016, the Knicks have outscored their opponents by 39 points. Their only loss in that span, 100-99 defeat in San Antonio, was the closest regular season game the Spurs endured on their home court since January 31st, 2015. Their four wins include a home-and-home against the Atlanta Hawks, a game in Miami, and a put-back fest against the Bucks on Sunday.

“There’s times for me to go out there and get it and there’s times to let somebody else go out and get it.” – Carmelo Anthony

They can attribute their wins to a more trusting offensive outlook coming from their star, Carmelo Anthony. Embracing a more novel role as a mentor to Kristaps Porzingis, Anthony also assumed heavy dishing duties. In a recent statement to the New York Post regarding the Knicks’ teamwork, “There’s times for me to go out there and get it and there’s times to let somebody else go out and get it.” Anthony seemed to be speaking in a different language. Was the same player who averaged nearly twice as many 3PTA as APG over the course of his Knicks tenure really preaching ball movement and selflessness?

Maybe it was the same person preaching it, but it certainly sounded like a different player. In the past five games, Melo exhibited his transformation to the father figure role. Melo cut back his shooting to an average of fewer than 21 points per game over this span, and did so efficiently as 48 percent of his shots found nylon. In doing so, his assist numbers have careened to 5.4 per game. Yeah, Melo trusts his teammates to score.

More important, he trusts his teammates to find him as the Knicks are weaning him off those isolation plays that seemed to keep the offense stagnant for years on end.

Consequently, a more voluminous slice of New York’s shooting pie has come from areas with high percentages. Per NBA.com, the Knicks average 17.4 field goal attempts from within nine feet. Their newer uptempo style has allowed them to amass 20.2 field goal attempts from such distances.

All season Kristaps Porzingis has bought into the NBA’s revolutionary transition to analytically sound basketball. Offensively, this essentially means avoiding mid-range jumpers and sticking to three-pointers and high percentage layups. Most of the NBA is heeding Daryl Morey’s strategy; per Basketball-Reference.com, the mid-range game is dying.

Kristaps, with 58.1 percent of his points coming from the paint or deep, has already eclipsed James Harden’s (56.4) metric-based shot selection.

The Knicks’ most important x-factor has unexpectedly come from their cheeto-haired power forward, Derrick Williams. Williams brings a dynamic athleticism to the Knicks’ offense, which is unprecedented on this roster. Williams’ mindset of “attack, attack, attack” has propelled him to the spot of the Knicks’ second most prolific charity stripe visitor despite being ninth in total minutes. In the Knicks’ most recent four wins, Derek Fisher upped Williams’ playing time to 20 minutes per game, all of which Williams has taken full advantage (10.5 PPG). In the San Antonio loss, Williams played only 10 minutes and failed to record a point.

Traditional statistics don’t do Williams’ game justice. Williams keeps defenders on their heels and keeps an offense running as he refuses to hold the ball idly. His instinct to find the rim punishes defenders who leave him to double on penetrators, and applies constant pressure to opposing players. As a result of his relentlessness, Williams’ offensive rating (points per 100 possessions while on the floor) is a career high at 111, higher than Melo’s (108), and KP’s (102).
Now the only question in New York is “can the Knicks keep up their promising play or will they remind their fans again of the growing pains young teams face?” And that answer is contingent upon the continued growth of their offensive production.