The New York Knicks experienced a drastic year-over-year improvement from beyond the arc thanks in part to a “4-point line.”

Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau had a 4-point line installed at the team facility to encourage players to work on their shooting. He said the line was part of joining the perimeter evolution in the NBA, but also noted it helped with things like spacing:

“The four-point shot, we liked the concept of it. You’re seeing what these players are doing. Sometimes those are good shots depending on how you get them,” Thibodeau said, via Mike Vorkunov of The Athletic. But it also provides a good line for spacing so that when you do get movement and penetration, spray out, pass, pass that a guy can get rhythm into a shot and attempt or step into a 3. So his weight is going forward. There’s a lot of benefits to it. And I think that’s where the game is going. We’re trying to take advantage of it like most of us in the league are.”

That move has seemingly paid big dividends for the Knicks. New York shot just 33.7 percent from beyond the arc during the 2019-20 season, but ranked third in the NBA in three-point percentage (39.2) this season.

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Knicks newcomer Alec Burks shot 41.5 percent from beyond the arc on 5.0 attempts per game, while rookie guard Immanuel Quickley shot close to 39 percent. R.J. Barrett took an enormous step forward, shooting 40.1 percent from deep on 4.3 attempts per contest. Of course, Julius Randle's proficiency from the perimeter (41.1 percent) helped make him one of the best players in the NBA this season.

Thibodeau's group aren't jackers. The Knicks ranked 27th in three-point attempts per game. However, that only serves to reinforce Thibodea's idea the 4-point line helped his team get a better feel for discerning between good and bad shots.

The three-ball could play a vital role for the Knicks in their first-round playoff series against the Atlanta, which begins Sunday in the Big Apple.