Getty Tom Thibodeau, head coach of the New York Knicks.
The New York Knicks proved to be one of the NBA’s more efficient offensive clubs last season, tying for the third-best offensive rating at 117.0. Still, they were a middling long-range shooting team, converting on just 35.4% of their attempts from deep (19th in the NBA).
To improve their 3-point shooting, the Knicks should make veteran guard Seth Curry their “top target” in free agency, according to a June 28 story by Bleacher Report’s Dan Favale, quoting B/R’s Grant Hughes.
“No playoff team canned a lower percentage of their three-point shots than the Knicks. Cite their lack of secondary playmaking, ankle injuries to virtually every key piece of the rotation or whatever else you like, but 29.6 percent shooting from distance was the main reason New York’s postseason run ended in the conference semifinals,” Hughes wrote in May.
“Seth Curry can help with that. The 32-year-old guard shot 40.5 percent from deep for the Nets last season and ranks fifth all-time (among players with at least 1,500 career attempts) at a scorching 43.5 percent,” Hughes wrote.
Since 2019-20, Curry has per-game averages of 12.3 points, 2.5 assists and 2.4 rebounds while shooting 48.0% from the field and 43.3% from deep.
Favale acknowledged that some “fans and analysts will clamor for a bigger splash,” but Curry, 32, is “both gettable and serves a purpose,” he wrote.
Knicks, Donte DiVincenzo Have ‘Mutual Interest’
The Knicks could take different route to adding more shooting firepower, according to Yahoo Sports’ Jake Fischer, who wrote on June 27 there is “growing noise” about free agent Donte DiVincenzo joining the roster.
According to SNY’s Ian Begley, the interest is mutual.
“As SNY reported, prominent members of the Knick organization are in favor of pursuing DiVincenzo in free agency. There is mutual interest between the Knicks and DiVincenzo,” Begley wrote on June 28.
Donte DiVincenzo is 1 of 5 reserves w/at least 15 starts to average at least 9 pts, 3 assists & hit at least 37% from three last season. There’s mutual interest between DiVincenzo & the Knicks. But NYK will have competition from MIN & others for the FA:
DiVincenzo is coming off an impressive season serving as a second-unit spark plug for the Golden State Warriors, where he posted averages of 9.4 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game while shooting 39.7% from deep in 72 games.
Rumors of a Knicks signing heated up after ESPN’s Kendra Andrews reported on June 27 that DiVincenzo, 26, did not pick up his $4.7 million player option for the 2023-24 season and will test the waters of free agency, which starts at 6 p.m. Eastern time on June 30.
Bruce Brown a Possible Backup Option for Knicks
The Knicks are by no means the only organization that will pursuing DiVincenzo. Begley noted in his report that the Minnesota Timberwolves, Chicago Bulls and Detroit Pistons are all expected to be in the mix.
He suggested the New York might want to set their sights on Denver Nuggets wing Bruce Brown Jr. should their pursuits of DiVincenzo fall short.
“If it doesn’t work out with DiVincenzo, I think they could make a run at Bruce Brown. Obviously, a 3&D player [who] helped the Nuggets in a big way,” Begley said.
“If it doesn’t work out with DiVincenzo, I think [the Knicks] could make a run at Bruce Brown” – @IanBegley
Ian, @TheFrankIsola, and @iHateShaun preview NBA free agency on The Putback with Ian Begley: t.co/l1eOzDyl5y
During his first season with the Nuggets, Brown posted solid per-game averages of 11.5 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.1 steals while shooting 48.3% from the field and 35.8% from deep in 80 games and served as a key member of the club’s bench unit during their championship run.
Since 2019-20, he is putting up averages of 9.7 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.0 steals and over half a block per game on 49.5% shooting from the field and 35.6% shooting from deep while boasting a defensive rating of 112.2 throughout this span.