Knicks' Three-Point Shooting 'Doomed' 2023 Playoff Run

The New York Knicks need to sign some three-point shooters in free agency this summer.
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The New York Knicks were good in the 2022-23 season, but they weren't great.

Something that they could improve in order to be great? Their three-point shooting.

During the regular season, the Knicks were tied for 19th in three-point shooting with a 35.4 percent success rate. However, that number dipped in the playoffs and was a big reason behind their second-round elimination at the hands of the Miami Heat. That's why Bleacher Report identified three-point shooting as the team's biggest need going into the offseason.

"The Knicks, not the Miami Heat, looked like they could be the Cinderella story of this year's playoffs," Greg Swartz of Bleacher Report writes. "New York's inability to hit anything from outside the arc ultimately doomed this storybook ending, however. A 29.2 percent from three this postseason was a black eye on an otherwise successful season, one the Knicks can build on with some added shooting."

Outside of Jalen Brunson and Quentin Grimes, there are no players under contract for next season that shoot better than 35 percent from beyond the three-point line. That makes re-signing Immanuel Quickley and Josh Hart that much more important.

Evan Fournier, who signed a four-year, $73 million contract in 2021, was expected to be the team's primary three-point threat when he signed. While he shot over 38 percent in his first season in New York, that number dipped to just over 30 percent, which earned him a spot in Tom Thibodeau's doghouse, to the point where he was exiled from the rotation entirely. 

If the Knicks can find a new home for Fournier that could open up the opportunity for a new shooter to come in, New York can improve its three-point clip, which can result in a longer postseason run next year.


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Jeremy Brener
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.