New York Knicks: 5 takeaways from 2018 NBA Summer League
3. 3-Point shooting woes
Adjusting to the NBA game from college or international play is not an easy thing to do. This is the highest level of basketball that there is in the world. The game is faster and players are quicker and stronger. One of the biggest adjustments for players is the 3-point line.
The 3-point line in the NBA is deeper than in any other league in the world. The NBA has a 3-point arc radius of 23’9″. FIBA and WNBA are 22’2″. NCAA is 20’9″. American high school is 19’9″. The adjustment to the NBA line isn’t an easy one and it was evident for the Knicks during Summer League.
New York struggled mightily from beyond the arc in Las Vegas. The Knicks shot 29-of-104 from distance, equaling out to a paltry 27.9 percent. They were okay in the third and fourth games, making 36.4 and 35.3 percent, respectively. However, their shooting numbers overall aren’t making heads turn for the right reasons.
Kevin Knox, Damyean Dotson and Troy Williams all had spurts where they shot the ball well. Allonzo Trier also picked things up after a slow start. However, there was no consistency for the Knicks in their jump shooting in Las Vegas.
You can be sure this is something they will be working on during training camp. After making only 35.2 percent of their looks last season, which tied for 25th in the NBA, this is an area that needs to improve.