New York Knicks: 5 goals for Tim Hardaway Jr. in 2017-18
By Randy Porga
3. Becoming a true threat from beyond the arc
The New York Knicks finished 21st in the league during 2016-17 for 3-point percentage at 34.8 percent. Tim Hardaway Jr. has shown fair and steady improvement in his shooting so far in his career, but the Knicks should hope there is still more upside to his outside shot.
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For his career, he’s shot 36.3 per cent, 34.2 percent, 33.8 percent and 35.7 percent from the outside over four years, averaging out to 35.2 percent. While not terrible, he does not pass the smell test as a true threat from the outside. As previously mentioned, this is where Lee may be the preferred choice early in the year coming off a season shooting 40.1 percent from the outside.
Hardaway thrives on shooting from the corner, but it is also where a low percentage of his shots come from at just 16.8 percent. When he did pull the trigger from this sweet spot, he hit a career-best 41.4 percent of his attempts from the corner.
An interesting takeaway with the New York Knicks’ shot selection last year is they were second in the league with the most frequent shots 10-16 feet from the basket, with 13.2 percent of their attempts in this zone. This appears to be where Hardaway is least comfortable for his career, only making 6.3 percent of his attempts from that range.
Tim Hardaway must improve the efficiency of his outside shot to make him a more dynamic offensive weapon.