Knicks Fixing Three-Point Shooting Woes

The New York Knicks are still learning how to play as a complete unit with their new-look roster.

Jeremy Brener | Nov 2, 2024

Oct 30, 2024; Miami, Florida, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) shoots the basketball over Miami Heat forward Jimmy Butler (22) during the fourth quarter at Kaseya Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

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New York Knicks

The New York Knicks started off the season rough, especially in the shooting department. However, things are beginning to look up.

In the team's past two wins against the Miami Heat and Detroit Pistons, there has been a higher volume of 3-point shots, which has been a big reason behind the team's victories.

"Before Wednesday night’s game in Miami, when the Knicks fired up 40 3s, New York was dead last in the NBA in 3-point attempts per game," The Athletic insider James Edwards III writes. "It’s surprising only because the additions of Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, two good 3-point shooters, added to a starting lineup this offseason that already featured Jalen Brunson and OG Anunoby, two more good 3-point shooters. The Knicks need to iron out spacing kinks and not turn down as many looks in hopes of getting a better shot. The performance against the Heat was a step in the right direction."

The Knicks have had to adjust a little more with the addition of Towns as their center. Towns is a big part of spacing the floor, which is a different aspect that the team didn't have last year.

When Isaiah Hartenstein was playing center, he wasn't usually on the perimeter. This means that the Knicks have to learn how to play in a five-out scheme, and that takes some time. It isn't going to fix itself right away.

That also means that just because the Knicks have found some success in the past two games doesn't mean it is fully resolved either. The Knicks will end up taking some steps back at some point during the season, but it's promising to see that they are able to grow from their mistakes.

The Knicks will look to keep the strong 3-point efforts going when they visit the Houston Rockets on Monday evening.

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Published Nov 2, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.