Amar'e Stoudemire Can Still Have NBA Role, Post-New York Knicks
This summer, for the first time since 2010, Amar'e Stoudemire will be free to shop his services to any NBA team. The 32-year-old's current situation is far different than the circumstances he faced five years ago—the prime of his career has come and gone, he's weathered even more procedures on both knees and he may not even be an NBA starter anymore, let alone a max-contract superstar.
But Stoudemire's 2015 season, despite some minor speed bumps, has shown that there is a role for him in the league beyond this season.
Health is the obvious key to Stoudemire's future as a pro, and he's currently sidelined with troubling knee soreness that has completely derailed his career path. But this is more than likely a direct result of the New York Knicks' lack of talent than any new development regarding Stoudemire's future.
Moderation Matters
As one of the best players on this putrid Knicks team, head coach Derek Fisher has played the 6'11" big man an average of 26.4 minutes over 28 games this season, mostly out of necessity.
He's already logged 57 minutes more than he did the entire 2012-13 season, and is already more than halfway to last year's minutes contribution put out over 65 games. Over his last 15 games, Stoudemire had been averaging 29.5 minutes per contest.
If the coffin for his career as a starter needed another nail in it, consider this season the final one. Stoudemire's body won't allow him to be a heavy-minutes, first or second option anymore. That much has been suspected and is all but a certainty now.
But just last season, we saw precisely what STAT could be moving forward. After returning from a sprained ankle on Feb. 1, and after a brief, public disagreement with Mike Woodson over his role, the Knicks managed Stoudemire's activity nearly flawlessly, and it resulted in him playing in more games than he did in any season since 2010-11.
After returning from the ankle injury, Stoudemire never went more than eight consecutive games without a designated recovery day. He played 30 minutes in two consecutive games twice, and though his minutes jumped toward the end of the season, it was likely with an entire offseason of rest in mind.
More Than Buckets
When he has been on the floor with the ball in his hands, it's difficult to question Stoudemire's impact.
Among all Knicks who have played at least 200 minutes this season, he's third in net-rating, according to NBA.com (subscription required). The team's offense improves by roughly five points per 100 possessions when he's on the floor, but what's more noteworthy is that the defense is three points per 100 possessions better while he plays.
It's still impossible to call Stoudemire a plus on defense, but he's made a handful of commendable plays on that end, whether it be a timely block or a smart rotation. For a player who's been unable to contribute positive defensive minutes his entire career, any progress in this area has to be encouraging for potential suitors next season.
He's also been making an impact on the boards, more so than any season in recent history for the 13-year veteran. He's averaged 7.4 rebounds per game over 26 minutes, or 14.9 per 100 possessions, which is the second-best mark of his career.
His 16.6 percent total rebounding percentage is his highest since the 2006-07 season, and he's grabbing 23.1 percent of available defensive boards, which is up nearly six points from last season and is 0.2 percentage points shy of his career-high set during that 2007 campaign. At 10.3, his offensive rebounding percentage is the second-best he's ever posted in a full season, only to the 10.9 percent he grabbed as a rookie.
He's even passing the ball more—Stoudemire's passes per game are up from 17.9 last season to 31.7 this year, according to NBA.com player tracking data. Fisher's triangle has almost forced Stoudemire into being more aware of his surroundings, and his assist rate has risen to 7.3, up from 4.2 last year and 3.6 the year prior.
Versatile Efficiency
Of course, Stoudemire's game is predicated around his scoring, and he's shown that he can do it efficiently and can do it several different ways over his Knicks tenure.
In an adjustment to his body's changing capabilities, Stoudemire has morphed his pick-and-roll- and face-up-heavy attack to a post-up-dependent one.
Thus far in 2014-15, 54.7 percent of his total attempts have come within three feet of the rim, which he's only exceeded twice. After working on low-post offense with Hakeem Olajuwon in 2012, Stoudemire has evolved into a threat on the block with his back to the basket—something he rarely resorted to before the 2012-13 campaign.
| 2010-11 | 12% | 1.08 |
| 2011-12 | 10.4% | 0.77 |
| 2012-13 | 35.9% | 0.92 |
| 2013-14* | 31.8% | 0.91 |
| *Most recent season with data |
He's shot 55.8 percent from the field this season, registering 13.1 points per contest on 9.5 shots.
On a team with a skilled point guard, it's feasible that Stoudemire could also re-integrate some action as a roll man, especially if he isn't being relied on to contribute major minutes. Better guards would also help Stoudemire get better looks than he is now—only 43.9 percent of his makes are coming off assists this season, which is the lowest mark of his career over any full season.
Also factoring in that Stoudemire likely wouldn't command more than a couple million dollars per season means that championship contenders that may be capped out could afford a year or two of the vet's services.
Seeing that Stoudemire's ideal role would be as a third big for a contending team needing an offensive punch off the bench, there could be a number of matches for STAT this summer on a short-term deal.
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