Reasons Iman Shumpert Is Bouncing Back with New York Knicks
Iman Shumpert looks like a completely different player thus far.
The 6'5", 220-pound shooting guard is 24 years old and will be a restricted free agent at the conclusion of the 2014-15 NBA season.
But why has he all of a sudden found consistency and breached his ceiling?
Power of a Contract Year
More often than not, players raise their performance when the potential for a new contract is present.
In 2002-2003, Michael Olowokandi had the best year of his career for the Los Angeles Clippers. He posted career highs in scoring and rebounding with 12.3 PPG and 9.1 RPG, which earned him a lucrative contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Deja vu struck Erik Dampier in 2003-2004, when he put up the only double-double in his career, scoring 12.3 PPG and grabbing 12 RPG for the Golden State Warriors.
Last season, former Indiana Pacer Lance Stephenson had a breakout year with free agency impending. The youngster shot a career-high 49.1 percent from the field and had a balanced stat line of 13.8 PPG, 7.2 RPG and 4.6 APG.
Iman Shumpert is following the mold of his predecessors, excelling with a payday looming. For the first time in his career, the shooting guard is shooting 50.5 percent from the field and averaging double digits in points scored with 13.8.
There may be more to the story, however, than Shumpert solely looking for a raise.
A More Encouraging Coach
Under head coach Mike Woodson, Shumpert had a short leash and lacked confidence. With head coach Derek Fisher showing faith in Shump, he's responded positively with a player efficiency rating of 17.83.
As a result, Shumpert's jump shot has been much more consistent, as shown with the two shot charts below, via Vorped.com, which compare his performance from 2013-14 to 2014-15.
Although the sample size is small, Shump's consistency from the perimeter has been one of the lone positives in an otherwise dreary slate of games for the Knicks.
With a coach who believes in him, Shump doesn't need to worry about being benched for missing shots, and the less pressure has allowed him to excel thus far.
More Serious Approach
Shump is playing with a sense of urgency and fire this season that wasn't present in the past. Whether it's his desire to earn a lucrative contract or his zeal for winning, the youngster is determined to reach his potential.
After the loss to the Brooklyn Nets (Nov. 7), Shumpert shouldered the blame, via Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com,
"I’m gonna take this one. Deron Williams got to do whatever he wanted out there. I got to get better with controlling the ball after him coming off the ball screen. I didn’t do a good job of that tonight. As a reflection of that, our bigs got in foul trouble [and the Nets] hit 3s from everywhere on the court because he kept getting into that paint. I got to do a better job of getting over the ball screens and not letting him get into our defense. ... Tonight, he had his way with me. I’ll take that.
"
His recent success could be attributed to his maturity and willingness to take responsibility for his shortcomings. Shump isn't making excuses or whining like he may have done earlier in his career.
With each contest that passes, one grows more comfortable with believing in this version of Shumpert.
Phil Jackson has also shown approval for Shump's effort thus far:
With the ball in his hands more, Shumpert has shown aggressiveness and confidence that has led to him being one of New York's most consistent players after disappearing entirely too often in prior years.
The triangle offense caters to the youngster's talent, and with Fisher and the organization continually showing faith in the 24-year-old, he will only get better as the season wears on.
It isn't all smiles and laughter for Shumpert on the floor anymore. He's ready to make this consistency a habit.
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