New York Knicks Offense Needs Jose Calderon's Steady Hand
A strained calf delayed Jose Calderon's New York Knicks debut, per the team's public relations Twitter page, but his presence at the point is essential for the team to fulfill its offensive potential.
After a 91-83 win over the Philadelphia 76ers on Nov. 22, Calderon's first game as a Knick, Carmelo Anthony expressed optimism to the Fred Kerber that the offense will blossom as the personnel jells.
Calderon told Kerber:
"It’s going to keep improving, reading what your teammate wants to do. That’s the key. That ball movement, that spacing.
Every game is going to be better for me just to be out there getting into a rhythm. It’s [over] two weeks without really playing … I expected it to happen on a few things, maybe you were a second slower than you wanted to be or that pass is not there. It’s going to be about time but I felt good health-wise and that’s the most important thing. We got the win. I’m happy. Better things are coming for sure.
"
Two nights later, Calderon dished five more assists and had zero turnovers, though he was only 3-of-7 on nine points in the 91-86 loss to the Houston Rockets.
Save for Carmelo Anthony's re-signing, Calderon was the default crown jewel of a summer that brought many useful, yet middling players to New York. As the NBA's site reports, the 'Bockers dealt Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton to the Dallas Mavericks in order to return the 6'3" point guard, along with three other players and two draft picks.
Even at 33 years old, Jose could give the Knicks something they haven't had in years: a true pass-first guy to initiate the offense.
With Phil Jackson and Derek Fisher bringing the triangle to New York, having a sure-handed veteran quarterbacking things would be an important step toward building a strategic foundation. The more confidence and comfort the players have with the new system, the better they will perform in it; Calderon could offer an applicable skill set and ease with the ball in his hands.
Over nine years of NBA play, Calderon has proven he's a hyper-efficient shooter. He's a career 48 percent shooter from the field, including 41 percent from beyond the arc, and he has knocked down 87 percent of his free throws.
That he's slow-footed and not adept at creating his own shots matters little in the triangle; he's an elite spot-up guy, and he's also discerning enough to know when to keep the ball circulating versus letting it fly.
And when Calderon is dishing to his teammates, he's as precise as they come. His 4.3 assists per game last season might seem paltry, but he paired them with a career-low 1.3 turnovers per game. That protectiveness placed him fourth in the NBA in assist-to-turnover ratio with 3.66, per ESPN; amongst full-time point guards, only Chris Paul posted a better rate.
Expand the sample to all qualified players, and Calderon's backup, Pablo Prigioni, actually topped the new Knicks starter in assist-to-turnover ratio. Prigs also sports similar deadeye tendencies, with a career shooting split of 47/44/87.
So what does Jose have that New York's incumbent sneak doesn't?
World-class touch on his passes, that's what.
We go all the way back to the be-dreadlocked Chris Bosh era of the Toronto Raptors for this Calderon gem.
Jose drives around the pick Bosh sets behind the three-point line, but he doesn't have the quickness to beat Bosh's man and get to the rim. Rather, he pulls up around the charity stripe, adjusts his body in the air and drops a feathery lob to the cutting Bosh on the low post for an easy dunk.
Calderon's deftness belies how difficult of a pass that is. He actually beats four defenders with it: The ball has to clear both Brendan Haywood, a 7-footer in his face; Jason Kidd, who has positioned himself in the lane between Calderon and Bosh; Rodrigue Beaubois crashing from the corner and swiping at Bosh's hands; and Josh Howard, so surprised by the needle-threading that he doesn't help from across the paint.
The Knicks seriously need that pinpoint passing down low. As Joe Flynn pointed out at Posting and Toasting, New York ranked sixth in restricted area shooting percentage starting the campaign without Calderon, but a mere 32.4 percent of the Knicks' assisted shots have come right around the hoop.
That disparity doesn't seem fluky when you watch the Knicks operate down low. Melo's bullying opposing wings and skirting past bigs to get his lay-ins, Amar'e Stoudemire is consistently finishing strong for the first time in years and even Iman Shumpert has shown more polish on his forays to the hoop.
Those guys have capitalized on their close-range attempts, but they have come without a passer who can deliver the ball nearer to that prime real estate. Prigioni isn't enough of a threat off the bounce to access interior passing lanes, while Shump and Shane Larkin lack the technique to feed the low post without risking turnovers.
It's important to note that Calderon's return doesn't portend the same improvement on the other end. While he's aware of his assignment and game to chase the league's athletic point guards, he's just too slow to keep pace with them. Lacking Prigs' talent for thievery, Jose is simply a defensive minus.
But with the roster fluid in the long run as Jackson leads a multiyear championship rebuild, this year is about developing chemistry with Melo and Calderon in the triangle; according to ShamSports, they're the only two Knicks with guaranteed contracts beyond this season. (J.R. Smith has a player option for 2015-16, while New York can tender Iman Shumpert an offer sheet.)
No team could possibly construct a title-caliber defense around Anthony and Calderon. That task will have to wait for whichever players join them later. For now, it's an offense-first life for the Knicks, and that suits Calderon's game perfectly.
All stats via NBA.com.
Josh Cohen writes about the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @arealjoshcohen.
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