Carmelo: You Lead, Afflalo
In a new offensive system, Arron Afflalo has found his rhythm in the Knick of time.
As MSG announcer Mike Breen would say, the New York Knicks started off 2016 red-hot. A 6-4 start to the new year has the Knicks a mere game and a half out of the final playoff spot in the East. They have seen solid play from their star, Carmelo Anthony, and their promising Latvian future, Kristaps Porzingis, along with consistent bench production.
Derrick Williams’ hard-nosed offensive style has kept opposing defenses on their heels while Lance Thomas’ ability to stretch forwards from the hoop and create space has opened up lanes for Williams and other drivers. The most crucial X-factor in the Big Apple, however, flew over from Oregon last summer.
Arron Afflalo cultivated an identity for himself as a defensive stopper as a 25-year-old in Denver and built on his success in Orlando. Averaging more than 17 points per game in Disney World, Afflalo led the Magic in scoring during each of his two years there. This new year, the Knicks have the fortune of experiencing the culmination of Afflalo’s wavy career trends.
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Defensively, Afflalo led a roadblock of a game against the Heat in which opposing shooting guard Dwyane Wade recorded below-average 18 points and coughed the ball up four times. His aggressive perimeter defense more recently starved Avery Bradley of a rhythm, holding the Celtic to 5-of-12 shooting.
Offensively, his 17 points per game in 2016 ranks third in New York behind Melo and Knickstaps. His scoring, however, has been the most integral portion of the team’s success more so than that of his vertical superiors. After playing in 34 games, Afflalo’s loud presence has a direct correlation with wins.
Check out the polarizing differences between his offensive productivity in wins vs. losses this season.
Most players of his caliber boast milder differences. During wins, they would normally post roughly 14 or 15 points per game and post more moderate failures in losses to the tune of 11 or 12 points per game. Afflalo’s shooting game, however, replicates flashes of a 32-year-old Kobe Bryant.
The mid-range turnaround, the exaggerated leg kick, his ability to spin away from an oncoming help defender, and the way he sits with his back to the basket it isolation, it all screams Kobe.
And he is, in turn, reminiscent of another shooting guard …
That’s not to advocate the notion that he possesses the potency of these all-time greats, but he has the offensive ability to take over games for quarters, or even halves — highlighted by his 38-point performance against Atlanta and 31-point performance against Houston. Few players in the league have the ability to score in bunches so efficiently.
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Afflalo is currently on pace to post five 30-point games. Last year only 27 players accomplished that feat. To further prove the impressiveness of this, Afflalo remains the third scoring option on the Knicks. Most important, he remains a viable backup for Anthony’s lead-scorer role. During Melo’s four DNPs, Afflalo has averaged 20 points.