Love this guys stuff, here's his article from the WSJ on his grades for the Knicks. Pretty fair grades I think all around and I think some of the stats he points out supports comments about players I see in the game threads like whether the good AA or bad AA shows up affecting a win or loss. Did you know Grant was only 45% inside of 3 feet so add his strength of driving to the basket as another thing he has to improve.
Giving the Knicks Their Midseason Report Cards
Grading Carmelo Anthony, Kristaps Porzingis, Derek Fisher and the rest of the Knicks 50 games into the season
Forward Carmelo Anthony, head coach Derek Fisher, and rookie big man Kristaps Porzingis have pulled the Knicks out of the cellar, but there?s plenty of work left to do
By CHRIS HERRING
Feb. 3, 2016 9:02 p.m. ET
Things can change quickly in the NBA, something the Knicks understand as well as anyone.
Two weeks ago, they were looking up at 22-22, having won eight of their previous 12 games. But a small rash of injuries and some poor, disjointed play in recent days have knocked them down to 23-28, mired in the Eastern Conference?s 11th spot with the NBA All-Star break 10 days away.
The Knicks are a long way from the 17-65 disaster of last season, with a spate of new additions?including guards Jerian Grant and Arron Afflalo, forwards Kristaps Porzingis and Derrick Williams, and center Robin Lopez?helping to redefine the team?s identity. Whether they?re good enough to right the ship and reach the postseason in 2016 remains to be seen.
In any case, the Knicks have passed the 50-game mark in their rebuilding campaign, and we?ve seen enough to evaluate how all of the players and coaches are performing as they prepare for the final three months of the season.
Here?s a midseason look the rotation players, as well as head coach Derek Fisher.
JOSE CALDERON
Point Guard
For all the things the 34-year-old Calderon doesn?t do?he?s well-below average defensively, and isn?t going to start many fast breaks?he?s been consistent, shooting about 49% in each of the first three full months of the season.
Jose Calderon has struggled to create his own shot this season, and he lacks speed on defense.
But Calderon can?t unlock his best attribute?his jump shot?because he lacks the footspeed to get open. His 2.7 drives and 7.8 shot attempts per 36 minutes rank last among starting NBA point guards, leaving his opponents with plenty left in the tank at the ends of games because they exert so little energy defending him.
Calderon does have value, though. Without him, the Knicks struggle with rotations, sometimes playing without a point guard at all when Langston Galloway needs rest and Jerian Grant is ineffective.
Grade: C-
ROBIN LOPEZ
Center
The Knicks? top free-agent signing has his flaws, but he?s accomplished what the Knicks wanted when they acquired him: help stabilize the team?s defense at the rim. New York ranks now third in defending shots inside of 3 feet, according to Basketball-Reference.
Lopez?s presence allows wing players to discourage perimeter shots. He has also quietly made a considerable impact on Kristaps Porzingis?s ability to rebound through solid box-out efforts. Porzingis has grabbed 22.7% of defensive boards with Lopez on the floor, but just 17.8% when Lopez is on the bench, per NBA.com.
Despite Lopez?s pedestrian scoring numbers, he?s become a more dependable low-post option lately, with the team steadily feeding him hook-shot opportunities as he?s developed a better understanding of the offense.
Grade: B
CARMELO ANTHONY
Small Forward
Anthony?s scoring and efficiency numbers are down, leading some to wonder aloud if he is in decline at age 31. It?s a fair question, considering that he had major knee surgery a year ago. But Anthony has put together great stretches of team-oriented basketball this season.
He?s come within two assists of a triple-double three times this season (more near triple-doubles than he posted in his first 12 seasons combined), and has generally played sound wing defense while rebounding effectively.
The Knicks?who are 0-5 in games he has missed, underlining how critical he is to success?may need one of his patented April finishes to sniff the playoffs. But if the Knicks miss the postseason, it certainly won?t be Anthony?s fault.
Grade: B+
ARRON AFFLALO
Shooting Guard
Afflalo can score in bunches, but he?s had as many empty performances as stellar ones, making him perhaps the NBA?s most inconsistent player. Consider that he?s making 52.1% from 3-point range in wins, and 25.3% in losses, the widest disparity in the league, according to Stats LLC.
Arron Afflalo may be the most inconsistent player in the NBA.
It?s no accident that the Knicks are 1-21 when Afflalo registers a neutral or negative plus-minus rating, and 18-3 when he posts a positive rating. He doesn?t bring much to the table if he isn?t scoring. He?s not the wing defender he used to be (often getting hung up on perimeter screens), and his passing has been poor at times.
In fact, four of the five players he passes to most?Calderon, Robin Lopez, Carmelo Anthony and Langston Galloway?all shoot worse when their shot stems from an Afflalo feed, according to NBA.com.
Grade: C
KRISTAPS PORZINGIS
Power Forward
The rookie big man has surpassed everyone?s expectations. Porzingis picks things up very quickly. His rebounding and passing were both questions entering the season, but he?s largely erased them by showing incredible flashes of both at times. And he?s nearly as comfortable putting the ball on the floor as he is with shooting from 30 feet.
His performances have been up and down so far. He performs best against top competition?shooting almost 45% against winning teams but just 39% against losing teams, per Hoops Stats. Defensively, he leaves his feet in hopes of blocking shots more often than he should, resulting in fouls.
On offense, his post-up looks have been forced lately, with defenders pushing him farther out of the paint, a sign that he needs to get stronger to establish better positioning. Still, it?s hard to see how the Knicks didn?t hit a home run with this draft pick.
Grade: A
LANCE THOMAS
Forward
Here?s how well Thomas has played to this point: If it weren?t for the playoff race, some in the Knicks? front office might just want him to regress to the mean a bit, if only to limit how much his salary will explode this coming summer in free agency.
The 27-year-old, in the midst of a one-year-deal (the first guaranteed contract of his career), has been the Knicks? most versatile defender and most consistent player. Thomas?s game, which now includes 3-point range (41.9% this season, after not attempting a single 3-pointer in four years at Duke), has enormous value in the 3-point-happy NBA.
His tenacity and professional demeanor makes him one of Derek Fisher?s favorites, but his solid play should make him a fan favorite.
Grade: A
LANGSTON GALLOWAY
Guard
The second-year guard looked reformed to start the season, when he shot better than 55% from 3-point range over the Knicks? first 14 games. Some remnants of that hot start remain (Galloway is still shooting better than 52% from the short corner for the season), but his numbers have regressed since then.
That?s nothing to be ashamed of, though, as the 24-year-old has had to toe the line between running the offense (and sharing the task with Jerian Grant) and being thrown into a number of different lineups over the course of the season.
Galloway is a tough case: He has turned the ball over less frequently this year, but his assist numbers are down. His 3-point shooting is improved, but his midrange jump-shooting is down. He gets to the free-throw line more often, but he?s also been out of control at times in forcing one-man fastbreak scenarios.
Grade: B-
DERRICK WILLIAMS
Forward
The former No. 2 overall pick is another case study in how his play from this point forward could impact his free-agency value. (Williams can opt out this summer in the hope that another team will give him more than the $5 million the Knicks are in line to pay him next season.)
Derrick Williams shoots 15.2% from 3-point range at home, and 30.2% on the road.
Williams?s play on offense has been uneven?he shoots 15.2% from 3-point range at home, and 30.2% on the road?and he isn?t a difference-maker on defense. But he does make plays that other players can?t. His violent jaunts to the basket sometimes make him look more like a running back, and they get him to the foul line frequently. And his rebounding has improved markedly, grabbing 14.5% of all misses in January after collecting 9.5% in December, according to NBA.com.
If the Knicks don?t keep Williams, it?s clear they?ll need another player (maybe even two) who can at least replicate a number of his skills.
Grade: C+
KYLE O?QUINN
Forward
The former Orlando Magic big man, who signed a four-year deal with the Knicks over the summer, plays with the sort of grit that the front office wants underneath the rim. He has a decent jumper and can make reads as a passer in the triangle offense.
There are a couple key issues with O?Quinn, though. First, he tries do too much. He has unsuccessfully tried to test his range, which is solid as long as he stays within 10 to 16 feet (just above 52%), but poor once he strays beyond that (31.5%, including just 1-of-13 from three-point range), according to NBA.com.
Also, the Knicks, who didn?t bank on Porzingis contributing this much this quickly, probably signed one more big man than they needed, meaning that O?Quinn has to split time he?d otherwise get with teammate Kevin Seraphin.
Grade: C
JERIAN GRANT
Point Guard
When he?s at his best, Grant allows the Knicks to function like a modern NBA team by using more pick-and-rolls and generating additional transition offense. New York has seen a nearly 43% boost in fast-break scoring per 48 minutes when Grant is on the floor, and has cut opponents? fastbreak scoring by more than 24% with Grant, per NBA.com.
Rookie point guard Jerian Grant has had trouble finishing close to the rim, shooting just 45% inside of 3 feet, according to Basketball-Reference
Also noteworthy: his ability to draw fouls. The Notre Dame product is tied for second (with Carmelo Anthony) among Knick regulars in free-throw rate.
The biggest problem, aside from his poor outside shooting, is his inability to finish at the rim, where he has shot just 45% inside of 3 feet, according to Basketball-Reference. One would assume the jumper (18-of-84, or 21.4%, from 16 feet and beyond) will improve with time. But waiting on that becomes more painful if Grant doesn?t develop as a better finisher in the next year.
Grade: C-
DEREK FISHER
Head Coach
The second-year coach is somewhat difficult to evaluate. While there are a number of things to criticize him for?he often leans too much on veterans like Calderon and Sasha Vujacic, and his puzzling rotations sometimes feature five reserves on the court at once?it?s hard to say the team is underperforming relative to its expectations.
The Knicks finally have a true defensive system in place, one that could be a top-10 unit if it had better defending in the backcourt. We?ve seen growth from players such as Thomas, Galloway and Porzingis. And the recent decision to make sure that either Lopez or Porzingis is on the court at all times was very smart.
If there?s an area where he has truly impaired the team, it?s in managing the team at the ends of close games?including four in which they had a lead in the final five minutes despite missing Anthony, when Fisher allowed Afflalo to isolate rather than draw up a creative play. Those will come back to haunt the Knicks if and when they narrowly miss the playoffs.
Grade: C+
Write to Chris Herring at [email protected]