Is the Luster Wearing off for Langston Galloway?
Langston Galloway made an immediate impact upon his arrival at the New York Knicks, but his production has plateaued.
The 6'2" 200-pound guard started his NBA career with authority. For the month of January, he scored 11.9 points per game, grabbed 3.9 rebounds per game and dished 3.0 assists per game. Since then, his impact has been consistent with those numbers—posting an overall stat-line of 10.9 PPG, 4.4 RPG and 3.0 APG.
At this point, the Knicks know what to expect from the 23-year-old.
He's a solid player that can get into the paint and knock down shots from the perimeter, but he isn't exceptional by any means—he's essentially maxed out his talent as an athlete.
Excellent Role Player
Asking Galloway to be a starter is doable, but it won't help the Knicks become contenders. At the end of the day, he's an excellent role player that plays hard on both ends of the floor that doesn't command a ton of money.
Galloway is set to earn $845,059 next year, via HoopsHype.com, if his team option is picked up. A veteran role player of his caliber would cost north of a million. For comparison's sake, Jason Terry is making $5,450,000 with the Houston Rockets this season, and his impact isn't anywhere near Galloway's.
The Knicks are fortunate to have finagled Galloway into such a cap-friendly contract. The guard's been efficient in his limited sample size. He's averaging only 1.2 turnovers with a turnover percentage of 9.9 percent, via Basketball-Reference.com. Galloway's also been good for 1.8 wins produced, in comparison to Jose Calderon's 2.76, via Box Score Geeks.
His effective field-goal percentage leaves room for desire, however, checking in at 45.7 percent, which is the worst among all of New York's guards. Galloway also struggles inside the paint and along the left side of the court, as indicated by the shot chart below:
From the right side of the floor he's been brilliant, shooting above league averages, but for whatever reason, that consistency hasn't carried over on the opposite end.
Galloway is underwhelming shooting the ball off the dribble, as well. When he takes zero dribbles, he nails 42.4 percent of shots from the field, via NBA.com. When he takes one dribble or more, he hits only 38.9 percent of those chances.
Shooting over an opponent is another challenge for the youngster.
If a defender is within two to four feet, Galloway shoots only 21.7 percent from the field. When there's four to six feet of space, he shoots 42.4 percent, and if he has six feet plus of space, he's knocking down 48.9 percent of those opportunities. Carmelo Anthony on the other hand, made 41.3 percent of his shots when a defender was within zero to two feet.
Galloway is good playmaker and decent shooter when he's open, but he isn't consistent or successful enough to be a dependable starter. In order for him to be more than a role player, he needs to get better when finishing at the rim and when a defender has a hand in his face.
His Allure
Expecting Galloway to be a starter that puts up 15 plus PPG and dishes more than five APG is a little outlandish.
But that doesn't mean Galloway isn't worthy of remaining with the organization and fortifying its second-unit.
In the young guard, the Knicks have an unselfish player that will do anything that's asked of him on both ends of the floor. Head coach Derek Fisher spoke favorably about the 23-year-old, via Dan Feldman of NBC Sports:
"He just showed a level of composure and poise for a first-year player that was pretty special. Didn’t seem to get sped up by competition. Even sometimes the guy’s better than him, he still seems to play at a pace that’s comfortable for him. He’s not afraid to take and make shots when he’s open. Doesn’t pass up on opportunities. And he’s not afraid to guard any guy out there.
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Galloway is holding his opponents to a defended field-goal percentage of 34.0, via NBA.com. He's not a prolific defender by any means, but he works hard enough to stay in front of his opponents and make their lives difficult.
New York's defensive rating with Galloway on the court is 105.7, without him it's 107.0, via NBA.com. It's a marginal improvement with him out there, but it still shows the effort and intensity he brings when on the floor.
The Knicks' assist-to-turnover ratio is also better with Galloway on the court versus off it with a ratio of 1.84 versus 1.31. The same can be said about the franchise's offensive rating, when Galloway is in the game it's 98.6, when resting, it's 92.0.
Galloway isn't an All-Star by any means, but he's making an impact for New York each time he suits up. To expect him to be a big time athlete for the organization is unfair to him, but as a role player, he's the perfect competitor for a coach.
The luster may have faded away from the youngster, but he's definitely a competent guard that can be an asset for the Knicks.
Having a guy like Galloway on the bench provides New York with depth on offense and defense. If he can work on his finishing at the rim, become a better shooter off the dribble and when defended closely, he can really make up for the fact that he's currently at his ceiling.
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