New York Knicks: Why Kemba Walker should be a 3-point shooter

There is an expectation that guard, Kemba Walker, will be the secondary ball-handler/ playmaker for the New York Knicks during the 2021-22 season. Dan Favale of Bleacher Report stated on August 4th that Walker’s ability to create a shot from scratch makes him the clubhouse leader to be the secondary ball-handler/ playmaker on the team.

On the surface, it seems like a good idea as Walker excels in the skillset that the team is deficient in. New York was inefficient in the pick and roll last season as they were 19th in the league in field goal percentage, shooting 42.3 percent from the field on 19.5 attempts per game.

Let’s take a look at why using Kemba Walker mainly as a 3-point shooter is in the best interest of the New York Knicks next season.

Kemba Walker will likely boost the Knicks’ pick and roll field goal percentage next season. Walker has spent nearly half of his possessions in the pick and roll, averaging 10.5 per game. He has shot 43.2 percent in the pick and roll since 2015, averaging 10.4 points in the pick and roll.

Unfortunately, Walker being the secondary playmaker for the team will put them at a disadvantage. The Knicks usually like to run the pick and roll with three floor spacers surrounding the pick and roll ball handler and the roll man.

For instance, Derrick Rose had the ball at the top of the key midway in the second quarter of an April 9th home game versus the Memphis Grizzlies. He held the ball there until Taj Gibson came to set the screen.

Once Gibson set the screen, Derrick Rose went over it and took a couple of steps towards the basket before attempting and making a floater. As Rose and Gibson went through their pick and roll process, Immanuel Quickley, Alec Burks, and Obi Toppin stood behind the arc as floor spacers.

If the Knicks continue the trend this season, it means that RJ Barrett will spend a large chunk of his minutes as a floor spacer. Barrett has struggled with 3-point shooting since college as he made 30.8 of his attempts on 6.2 shots.

Barrett continued to struggle in the pros, making 32 percent of his attempts on 3.5 shots. However, Barrett briefly gave fans a glimmer of hope during his second regular season as he shot 40.1 percent on 4.3 attempts per game.

Unfortunately, that glimmer of hope quickly faded as he regressed in the playoffs, only shooting 28.6 percent on 5.6 attempts per game. Barrett’s struggles have led his defenders to leave him wide open whenever he is off the ball.

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91.1 percent of Barrett’s 3-point attempts have been uncontested by defenders as he averaged 4.1 uncontested threes per game (including playoffs). He has struggled to make open threes, only shooting 33.3 percent on these attempts. Consequently, defenders have no reason to stay close to him when he is off the ball.

Barrett’s shooting struggles create a problem for the Knicks as his defender can become a help defender and potentially rotate towards Walker. Consequently, the team would better make Barrett the secondary ball-handler and push Walker off the ball when they are on the court together.

Barrett has been a pick and roll ball handler in 29.4 percent of his possessions, averaging 5.1 per game. He has been inefficient in the role shooting 38.2 percent on 2.3 attempts per game. Despite the inefficiency, Barrett has averaged 3.8 points in the pick and roll.

Barrett has paired his pick and roll work with transition possessions. Barrett has been in transition 3.4 times per game, shooting 49.7 percent on 2.5 attempts per game. He has averaged 3.5 points per game in transition as a professional.

On the other hand, Walker has shown an ability to thrive off the ball, making 36.9 percent of his threes on 6.9 shots. He has also done exceptionally well on catch and shoots, shooting almost 39 percent on 2.7 attempts per game.

Having Barrett as a secondary ball-handler will prevent the team from dealing with a help defender on every possession that Barrett and Walker are on the court together. If the team doesn’t want to use Walker primarily off the ball, they should stagger Barrett and Walker.

For example, Walker can be on the court with backup wing Alec Bruks. Bruks has been a more consistent shooter than Barrett, making 37.2 percent of his attempts since 2016 on 3.2 shots per game. Bruks’ shooting profile decreases the chances that he is left open.

In conclusion, using Barrett off the ball would be detrimental to the team because of his track record. The team would be better off pushing Walker off the ball or staggering both players.