The New York Knicks entered the 2022-23 season full of expectations. The team had hopes of returning to the playoffs, especially after signing Jalen Brunson to a four-year, $104 million contract in free agency. After a slow start, it seems New York is finding its rhythm.
The Knicks are currently 23-19 and No. 6 in the Eastern Conference. They recently embarked on an eight-game winning streak in December. They are ahead of teams such as the Miami Heat, Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls, all of who were considered stronger contenders earlier this season. While things are getting better, the front office might need to act if the Knicks want to compete for bigger things.
With the season hitting its halfway mark, the clock is ticking before the trade deadline on Feb. 9 arrives. This means there is not much time left to make game-changing trades, so New York must start scouting the market soon.
With that being said, here is the biggest need the New York Knicks must address at the 2023 NBA trade deadline.
New York Knicks' biggest need: more 3-point shooters
There is no secret that New York's offense heavily relies on its recently built Big 3. Julius Randle, RJ Barrett and Jalen Brunson are the focus at Madison Square Garden and are considered the future of the franchise.
Randle is averaging a double-double with 24.1 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. Barrett is recording 19.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists per contest. Brunson is the second-leading scorer with 21.9 points and 6.4 assists per game
Even though those numbers look good on paper, there is still one big area that might become a problem. From the trio, Brunson is shooting 39% from the 3-point line. On the other hand, Randle is making just 33.8% on 7.8 attempts a night, while Barrett is hitting 33.2% on 5.5 shots.
They are just a reflection of how poorly the Knicks have been from beyond the arc this season. New York is making 33.9% of its 3-pointers, placing the team in 25th in the NBA. To make things worse, the Knicks have the 10th-most attempts.
Randle and Barrett are the top two players with the most 3-point attempts for the Knicks. However, they are outside of the top three in 3-point percentage (minimum of one attempt per game).
Other notable players who are struggling in this area are Immanuel Quickley, Cam Reddish and Evan Fournier. The youngsters are just above 30%, while the veteran is shooting a career-worst 31.3% on 4.2 attempts. Reddish and Fournier have fallen out of the rotation because of their struggles.
In 2021-22, the Knicks were in the top half of the league with a 35.7% average from beyond the arc. For comparison, that mark was better than playoff teams such as the Boston Celtics and Dallas Mavericks.
Perhaps a big reason for this significant decline from 3 was the departure of Alec Burks. The Knicks traded him to the Detroit Pistons to clear cap space for the signing of Brunson. Burks led the team last season by hitting 40.4% of his shots from deep.
Given how important 3-point shooting is in the NBA, this might cost the Knicks some precious results. Because of that, the front office should go after some solid 3-point specialists on the trade market.
An interesting option could be Buddy Hield. The shooting guard has been in trade rumors since the offseason. With the rise of Tyrese Haliburton, the Indiana Pacers might move on from the 30-year-old veteran. He is currently shooting 42.7% from long distance on 9.2 attempts per game.
Another option is bringing back Burks. With a team option on his contract for 2023-24, he should not be too difficult to acquire, especially since the Detroit Pistons are just 12-33. This means the team might opt to trade away some veterans to bring some younger value or draft capital.
At the end of the day, the Knicks should address their 3-point shooting problem with a trade as soon as possible. Effective long-range shots are a must in the NBA, so New York should be quite active before the trade deadline in February.
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