The New York Knicks have had another good season, but there will undoubtedly be more offseason rumors to come. Is Doug McDermott, a seasoned wing, a suitable free agent?
The ten-year veteran recently finished a season that he shared between the San Antonio Spurs and the Indiana Pacers. In the summer, he will be an unrestricted free agency. Over his career, he has shot 31% of three points.
Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report identified McDermott as a “Ideal Free Agent” for the Knicks in his post from April 18.
His main source of motivation was New York’s mediocre three-point shooting performance throughout the regular season.
“Even though Donte DiVincenzo is making every effort to alter this perspective,” wrote Buckley. “New York’s offense still arguably lacks sufficient three-point volume.Although the Knicks are ranked 10th in three-point field goals made and 13th in long-range attempts, they still have potential for improvement.
with McDermott, who played 55 games with the Knicks in the 2017–18 campaign, it would be a reunion.
But does he have a spot with the resurgent New York Knicks? Would Doug McDermott’s signing be justified by the minutes?
Since the Knicks have not yet completed their postseason, it is becoming more difficult to predict what they will be searching for.
However, in today’s NBA, making three-pointers consistently is a premium. Teams are genuinely never able to have enough.
McDermott played just 14.1 minutes a game between two clubs this season, yet he hit 94 of 229 three-point tries.
He attempted three field goals, accounting for 42.6% of his total. That would be the highest this season for any player on the Knicks.
Standing at 6 feet 6 inches and 225 pounds, he spent 92% of his playing time at a small forward.
Josh Hart and mid-season trade addition OG Anunoby are two players for New York that spent the most of their playing time at small forward this season.
However, head coach Tom Thibodeau is forced to start both of them because of Julius Randle’s season-ending injury.
Anunoby begins in an excellent rotation, with Hart coming off the bench to play behind him.
The third option is left with a modest role, maybe alternating between the two forward slots while the others rest.
Who better than a seasoned sniper from three points?
Two players that shoot more than forty percent of their three points are superior to one. McDermott would provide the Knicks with a fourth.
DiVincenzo concluded the 2023–2024 regular season averaging 15.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.3 steals per game after agreeing to a four-year, $50 million contract last summer.
He was third in the NBA with 283 three-pointers made. Only Luka Doncic and Stephen Curry scored more.
DiVincenzo was sixth in terms of percentage among all players who attempted more than 500 three-pointers this season, at 40.1 percent. He came in second behind Curry if you reduce the modifiers to 600 or more three-point attempts.
Along the process, he set a couple Knicks records.
During a victory over the Detroit Pistons on March 25, DiVincenzo made 11 of his 20 three-point tries. With 11 made threes, he surpassed J.R. Smith and Evan Fournier for the most made in a game in franchise history.
With 283 made threes at the end of his first season in New York, DiVincenzo once again overtook Fournier for the most in a New York season.
The New York Knicks would have one shooter who always demands the respect of the defense if they benched starting Donte DiVincenzo and then brought Doug McDermott off the bench.