New York Knicks: 5 predictions for 2019-20 season

4. Knicks finish top half of league in 3-point shooting

The New York Knicks offense struggled mightily in their first season under David Fizdale. A big reason for that was their best player, Kristaps Porzingis, not playing all season as he recovered from an ACL injury. With Porzingis sidelined, the team didn’t have much of an identity offensively.

There were too many young players put into positions to carry the team and it got stagnant at times. Without consistent play at the point guard position, the team’s offense never got going consistently. Another issue was the 3-point shooting.

New York finished 28th in the NBA in 3-point shooting last season, knocking down 34.0 percent of their attempts. It was a point of emphasis this offseason with the signings of Wayne Ellington, Reggie Bullock and Marcus Morris. Julius Randle and Bobby Portis are both improving 3-point shooters. If the young players continue developing, their percentages will rise as well.

If the Knicks can improve to 35.0 percent shooting, they would jump into the top 20 of the league. If the youngsters can move forward in their development, pushing toward 35.5 percent, which would put them into the top half of the league, would be doable.