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NBA Playoffs must-follow storylines: Knicks vs Hawks

By Luke Duffy

ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JANUARY 04: Julius Randle #30 of the New York Knicks grabs a loose ball against Trae Young #11 and Clint Capela #15 of the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at State Farm Arena on January 04, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GEORGIA - JANUARY 04: Julius Randle #30 of the New York Knicks grabs a loose ball against Trae Young #11 and Clint Capela #15 of the Atlanta Hawks during the second half at State Farm Arena on January 04, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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NBA playoffs, Knicks, Hawks (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images) /

NBA Playoffs Key Question No. 1: Who will have the better 3-point shooting?

In theory, the Hawks have both Young and Bogdan Bogdanovic, two absolute flamethrowers from deep when they get going. Dig a little deeper though, and Young only averaged 34.3 percent from deep during the regular season on 6.3 attempts, which compared to the 36.1 percent on 9.5 attempts a game of a year ago is real regression.

Bogdanovic did end up posting a smoking 43.8 percent on 7.6 attempts a night, but injury meant he only appeared in 44 games, starting 27 of them. While there is no reason both guys can’t turn it on once out there, the aforementioned defensive setup of the Knicks, led by a great mind in that area in Tom Thibodeau, means that is not a given.

Returning to that ace up the sleeve of the Knicks, and as a team, they ranked third in the entire league in 3-point shooting (39.2 percent) this year, with Randle hitting an impressive 41.1 percent of his own attempts from deep. This offense is about much more than Randle however, and that is where the Knicks could hold an advantage here.

Six of their rotation (we are going to kindly include Frank Ntilikina in that grouping) shot over 40 percent from 3-point range, with Kevin Knox (39.3 percent) and Immanuel Quickley (38.9 percent) not far behind. Derrick Rose and Reggie Bullock have chipped in with some notable scoring nights over the course of the year, and the smart bet is on that continuing here.

For the Hawks, only Bogdanovic, Lou Williams (44.4 percent in 24 games) and Danilo Gallinari (40.6 percent) have broken the 40 percent barrier, and with Williams having had postseason flameouts in the past and both Bogdanovic and Gallinari injury concerns, their foundations for shooting their way to victory are shakier.

In reality, this will probably be closer once the games begin, with some Knicks players going cold and the Hawks having a guy come alive at the right time in certain games. Whoever comes out on top in this particular battle, however, is going to have a strong foothold on the series, and when you combine it with the defensive setup of the Knicks, early indicators say it will be them.