Knicks Starting to Fall in Key Area

The New York Knicks have a 3-point shooting problem to address.

Feb 15, 2025; San Francisco, CA, USA; New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) competes in the three-point contest during All Star Saturday Night ahead of the 2025 NBA All Star Game at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks are one of the best 3-point shooting teams in the league, but they haven't relied on their outside shot much as of late.

Knicks Film School writer Jonathan Macri points out the team's lack of 3-point shooting in the games leading up to the All-Star break.

"New York has plummeted to 27th in the league in 3-point frequency, which feels less than ideal going into potential playoff matchups with frequent fliers like the Cavs and Celts. They’ve been steadily trending downward over the course of the year, and it’s unclear what - or who - specifically is the problem," Macri writes.

"By the numbers, Cleaning the Glass says that Deuce and Cam Payne are the most positively impactful players when it comes to their 3-point frequency (no surprise given how often those guys fire away from deep), while OG is the most positively impactful starter (which could just be a reflection of Precious Achiuwa being in the starting five when OG is out)."

Surprisingly enough, there's one player in particular contributing to the lack of 3-point shooting, and that person is star point guard Jalen Brunson, who ironically competed in the league's 3-Point Contest over All-Star Weekend.

"When JB is on the court, New York takes 6.3 percent fewer threes than when he sits, which is in the fourth percentile league-wide," Macri writes.

"I think some of that is simply the chuck-happy Payne (who almost always plays with the equally not-bashful McBride) being the flip side to this coin, but still, this is worth monitoring moving forward," he continued.

If the Knicks want to do well in the postseason, they have to go back to what makes them the most successful, and considering few teams hit the 3-ball as well as they do, it's an area New York needs to target in the latter part of the season.

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns as and so much more!