Schmeelk: NBA Playoffs Show Why Knicks Need To Acquire 2-Way Players This Summer
By John Schmeelk
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Playoff basketball is different than regular season basketball. It is a phrase uttered a lot this time of year, sometimes appropriately, sometimes not.
But one thing that consistently gets exploited in the postseason is matchups on both sides of the floor. If there is a weak link on offense or defense, the opponent will take advantage of it over and over again until an adjustment is made. These back-and-forth chess matches often determine the end results of a series.
We've already seen it this spring. The Golden State Warriors decided they weren't going to cover Tony Allen, and dared him to beat them in Game 4. He couldn't. When Joakim Noah has the ball for the Chicago Bulls, the Cleveland Cavaliers barely guard him, knowing he is absolutely no threat offensively. It makes his screens for Derrick Rose much less effective. On the flip side, when Nikola Mirotic plays, he is endlessly attacked on screen and rolls because of his defensive issues.
This happened to the Knicks during their last playoff run when Ray Felton played major minutes. He was targeted by opposing point guards time and time again. Whenever Steve Novak was put into a game, he became a target for opposing offenses. The same with Amar'e Stoudemire. Unless he was rolling to the hoop, Tyson Chandler was often left completely alone on the perimeter because he wasn't willing or able to take a short jump shot. When Iman Shumpert was going through his shooting slumps he was often left open and couldn't take advantage of it.
You can get away with playing those types of players in the regular season for short stretches, but it will eventually burn you against better-coached teams and in the playoffs. It is hard to win playing a virtual game of five on four on either end.
That's what makes the Warriors so dangerous. Nearly every player that plays significant minutes for them is a two-way player that can play defense, and be a threat offensively. The Los Angeles Clippers are the same way, spare DeAndre Jordan and his lack of an offensive game spare. So are the San Antonio Spurs. Their players can hold their own on both ends of the floor. Jeff Teague, Al Horford, Paul Millsap, and DeMarre Carrol all fit under that umbrella, while Kyle Korver has improved on defense. All five starters for the Washington Wizards, John Wall, Bradley Beal, Nene, Marcin Gortat and Paul Pierce, play both ends of the floor as well.
Whenever Phil Jackson talks about getting players for the Knicks, he talks about finding complete basketball players that have a varied skill set. He wants guys that can shoot, pass and play defense. If everyone on the court has the ability to score, make a play, and guard on defense, it leaves few, if any, weaknesses to exploit. Those types of teams are going to have more success over the course of a seven-game series. It makes it more difficult to match up and exploit weak links in the roster.
In the new, specialized NBA, those players are becoming more and more difficult to find, which will make Jackson's offseason free agent hunt all the more difficult. Potential restricted free agents like Draymond Green and Jimmy Butler excel on both ends, so making max offers to both players is something the Knicks shouldn't blink an eye at doing. Potentially cheaper players like Danny Green, Khris Middleton and the recovering Wesley Matthews are the exact type of players that Jackson needs to surround Carmelo Anthony and whomever the Knicks draft with if they want to have success.
As a small forward, Anthony can be exploited defensively, but playing power forward he has the quickness to stay in front of opponents and the strength to bang down low. He can be a good enough two-way player if he is put in the right position and used the right way. But he needs versatile and effective defenders around him to be that type of player.
Karl-Anthony Towns is the big man in the draft with the most two-way potential, though his offensive game is raw. His mid-range jumper will allow him to be a threat during his rookie season until his post-up game catches up. Jahlil Okafor can be an 18-8 guy as a rookie but his defense was understandably questioned during his freshman season in college. People wonder about D'Angelo Russell's defense on the next level due to his strength and explosive athleticism deficiencies. Expecting any rookie to be good on both ends in his first year is asking too much.
Jackson needs to put together a complete team that is good on both ends of the floor this offseason. It is going to be a challenge, but one he needs to meet head on if the Knicks want to be playing in the middle of May next year and beyond. There are players to be had with those skill sets. Jackson just needs to convince them to come to New York.
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