Should the Knicks target DeMar DeRozan in free agency?
The New York Knicks are in the rebuilding process after routinely getting the short end of the stick in the NBA Draft. This situation would be different had they been in position to land a talent like Luka Doncic in recent years, but that simply hasn’t been the case.
It’s time the Knicks pursue a veteran talent that is an actually realistic option to help set the tone for their offense. New York produced just 0.935 PPP on offense last season–making them comfortably the worst in the NBA in this area.
Perhaps the most interesting element to DeRozan’s performance for the Spurs this season was his scoring efficiency. He averaged 22.1 points while producing 1.072 PPP–ranking 4th among the 29 players with at least 1,000 scoring possessions.
By signing DeRozan, the Knicks would be able to land a player who can score with real efficiency within the half-court. Whether it’s as a pick-and-roll ball-handler, isolation threat, or even on post-ups, DeRozan consistently makes a positive impact in key areas as a scorer.
The Knicks started last season with Marcus Morris on the wing alongside RJ Barrett and he provided the team’s best scoring impact before being traded. However, DeRozan would take that quite a few steps further–going beyond just filling that void.
There would still be a real need for the Knicks to figure out how they can surround more shooting around DeRozan considering they were the league’s worst spot-up shooting team last season. Signing the four-time All-Star would be a step in the right direction, nevertheless.
