New York Knicks: 3 reasons to trade for Zach LaVine

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New York Knicks (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

3. His scoring/shooting

For one, Madison Square Garden could use some excitement, and LaVine would absolutely give that to the World’s Most Famous Arena. He is a two-time NBA Slam Dunk contest champion, and he doesn’t slow down in games either.

According to Basketball-Reference, he had 88 dunks this season. For context, the only players ahead of him on the list were big men, and newly-converted power forward Ben Simmons. Also, it’d be nice to have a guy who can do this.

The guy can flat out score too. LaVine’s coming off a season in which he averaged 25.5 points per game on an imposing slash line of .450/.380/.802. When LaVine did get a touch, the Bulls picked up some points.

According to NBA Stats, of the 104 players who average 50 touches per game, LaVine ranks 8th in points per touch. Cleaning the Glass states that the Bulls scored 3.9 points per 100 possessions more when LaVine was on the court.

But the 3-point shot it what really attracts you to LaVine. The 283 pull-up 3-pointers shows how easily LaVine can get his own shot off. The combo guard has limitless range.

That percentage was no fluke either. LaVine attempted 8.1 long balls per game and made a total of 184. As of this writing, he’s 10th in the NBA in total 3-pointers made.

LaVine’s 3-point shooting really hit the next level this season when he tied Steph Curry for second on the all-time list for threes made in a single game with 13 against the Charlotte Hornets. That includes a chaotic game-winner with 0.8 seconds remaining.

One thing I noticed while digging through everything on LaVine is that Chicago may be asking their guy to do too much.

LaVine is currently top-10 in field goal attempts, 3-point attempts, and usage percentage. The only other players to be top-10 in all of those categories are James Harden, Trae Young, and Bradley Beal. As much as I like this trade for the New York Knicks, LaVine doesn’t belong on a list with those guys.

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LaVine has taken up more than 30 percent of the Bulls offense in each of the last three seasons. That high of a usage rate puts him in the 96th, 99th, and 98th percentile (via Cleaning the Glass), respectively, over the last three seasons.

But LaVine’s not entirely off the hook. He made plenty of mistakes. The guard was first on the Bulls in shots (1,199) this season, and rookie Coby White was in a distant second (792) with over 400 fewer attempts. That seems pretty similar to the situation the Knicks had with Julius Randle and RJ Barrett — if Randle were making his threes.

LaVine also had 254 assists to 206 turnovers. According to Basketball-Reference, LaVine is just 49th in total assists, but he’s eighth in turnovers. Despite this, LaVine led the Bulls in touches and time of possession this season. A player as turnover prone as LaVine shouldn’t have the ball in his hands that much. So yeah, he needs to be off-ball more.

Fortunately, LaVine’s ridiculous athleticism and explosiveness to the rim allow him the potential to be an elite cutter. This season, he was in the 75th percentile on 68 possessions as the cutter. It accounted for just over five percent of his total possessions. That’s not enough for a guy who can do this.

And this.

But where I think LaVine can really shine is in the fast break.

In his three seasons with Chicago, the Bulls have ranked ninth, 19th, and 16th in pace. For New York to maximize his success, they should pick it up. If the Knicks want to play fast next year with RJ and Mitch, LaVine can fit right into those plans.

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