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3 New Year’s resolutions for the New York Knicks in 2022

By Brendan O'Sullivan

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 28: Kemba Walker #8 of the New York Knicks (C) talks to his teammates during a time-out in the fourth quarter of the game against the New York Knicks at Target Center on December 28, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Knicks defeated the Timberwolves 96-88. 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 David Berding/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - DECEMBER 28: Kemba Walker #8 of the New York Knicks (C) talks to his teammates during a time-out in the fourth quarter of the game against the New York Knicks at Target Center on December 28, 2021 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Knicks defeated the Timberwolves 96-88. 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 David Berding/Getty Images) /
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New York Knicks
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 21: Kemba Walker #8 of the New York Knicks in action against the Detroit Pistons at Madison Square Garden on December 21, 2021 in New York City. 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. New York Knicks defeated the Detroit Pistons 105-91. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /

The holiday season is many people’s favorite time of year. Visiting family, giving gifts, or perhaps even returning from college after a busy semester are among the reasons one may enjoy the season.

As the year ends, people often look to the new year as an opportunity to improve on certain aspects of life such as learning new skills or going to the gym more often. Just like the average person, NBA teams should have New Year’s resolutions, too.

With 2022 approaching, the New York Knicks should adopt three New Year’s resolutions to return to their 2020-21 playoff form

The New York Knicks are 17-19, two games below .500 nearing the midpoint of the season. After earning the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference last season at 41-31, a below-.500 finish would be a major disappointment.

And that’s the case even if the roster didn’t improve. But the front office did it’s due diligence, adding much-needed shot creators and playmakers to surround Julius Randle and RJ Barrett.

Fortunately for the Knicks, through 35 games last season, they were 18-17, not far off from where they stand now. They have more than half the season to correct mistakes and steer toward the playoffs.

To do so, the Knicks will need to work on three New Year’s resolutions.

*Most stats are as of December 30th, 2021

New Year’s resolutions for the New York Knicks in 2022: 3. Be more efficient on offense

The Knicks weren’t a great offensive team last year. They were in the bottom third for points per game and offensive rating as well as holding the slowest pace in the league.

Randle was terrific on offense, scoring 24.1 points per game on .456/.411/.811 shooting splits. However, the Knicks didn’t have much offensive support behind their All-Star.

The Atlanta Hawks exposed this in the first round of the playoffs by sending multiple defenders at Randle, forcing others to beat them. Adding offensive talent was a must in the offseason.

Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier were supposed to resolve the offensive issues. Their shot creation and floor spacing should have allowed Randle to play more freely and force teams to spread defenders around.

That simply isn’t the case this season. The offense is arguably still as putrid just with different faces. The offensive rating slightly dipped from 110.6 to 109.4, but it’s ranked 17th this season compared to last year’s 23rd.

Walker and Fournier are averaging 13.6 and 13.2 points per game, respectively. That’s appropriate for third and fourth scorers, with Randle and Barrett as one and two. However, the four are shooting inefficiently from the field. Walker, Fournier, and Randle hover around 41 percent and Barrett is below the 40% mark.

It’s a significant downgrade from last year’s percentages for Randle and Barrett, and the skills Walker and Fournier have aren’t on display as efficiently as expected when signed.

Walker and Fournier are shooting well from three, 40.3 percent and 36.9 percent, respectively. However, Barrett and Randle each sank to around 33percent after both eclipsing 40 percent from distance last season.

So, even with the new additions in the backcourt, the spacing hasn’t improved due to significant regressions. In theory, the shot creation Walker and Fournier possess should get Randle and Barrett more open looks.

Perhaps, it’s still taking a bit to start the engine, like last season. But if the Knicks can’t improve their efficiency, they’ll find themselves fighting for a play-in spot rather than playoff seed.

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