National Basketball Association

New York Knicks: Let's Talk About Lance Thomas

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 7:17 p.m. ET

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The most overlooked signing of the 2016 NBA offseason was a player whom New York Knicks fans already knew: fifth-year small forward Lance Thomas.

Nov 23, 2015; Miami, FL, USA; New York Knicks forward Lance Thomas (42) shoots over Miami Heat guard Tyler Johnson (8) during the first half at American Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

In the midst of an offseason filled with highly-publicized (and criticized) acquisitions, the New YorkKnicks quietly resigned Lance Thomas to a four-year, $27 million contract on July 9th.

His first big NBA payday came as a result of the best season of his career, as he impressed the Knicks with his strong contributions off the bench. With Thomas expected to continue to play major minutes, it’s time we consider the possibility that the Knicks’ most crucial offseason move was not going out and getting a bunch of new guys, but keeping a guy they already had.

It’s time to talk about Lance Thomas.

Who is Lance Thomas?

Casual fans may find themselves asking this very question, so here’s a bit of background. The Brooklyn-born, St. Benedict’s (NJ) alum spent the first few years of his NBA career in flux, bouncing between the D-League and the New Orleans Hornets/Pelicans.

After New Orleans cut him a second time, Thomas finished his season in China, playing well enough to earn a contract from Oklahoma City for the 2014-15 season.

He landed in New York as a footnote to a highly-publicized trade and was waived two days later, before impressing the team enough during two 10-day contracts to earn a full-time position with his hometown squad.

Thomas was his best self in a career-high 1,313 minutes last season, despite missing 23 games (including the last 18).

He should be in line for 20-to-25 minutes per game in 2016-17 as the Knicks’ sixth or seventh man. He’ll be a major factor in the productivity of the team’s unfortunately gaunt bench unit.

He’s low-key very, very important to this team. So what does Lance Thomas, Bench General, bring to the table?

Mar 1, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Lance Thomas (42) drives to the basket past Portland Trail Blazers center Ed Davis (17) during the second half at Madison Square Garden. The Trail Blazers defeated the Knicks 104-85. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

Offense

Let’s make this abundantly clear before we go any further: Lance Thomas is a role player with limited offensive abilities. The New York Knicks don’t call upon him to score very often and will rarely draw up a play to get him a shot.

Still, he has proven to be a more than capable 3-point shooter, at least when given room. According to NBA.com, 41 of his 44 made threes last season were of the open/wide open variety.

He attempted just 12 with a defender close enough to contest.

His 42 percent shooting on open/wide open threes was above the 36 percent league average for forwards. His ability to consistently convert jumpers with room was on full display during the best game of his career: a 24-point, 9-of-9 outing against the Orlando Magic last December.

This is peak Lance Thomas. Lance Thomas: Fully Actualized.

He was repeatedly in perfect position to capitalize on both Orlando’s defensive breakdowns and the excessive room Orlando’s defenders provided him off the catch. He also displayed his willingness to put the ball on the floor when necessary, and his ability to both pull-up and drive to the hoop off the dribble.

At 1:40 in the video above, Thomas pump fakes past an overzealous contest, takes one dribble, and buries the pull-up two. In fact, Thomas shot an above-average 41 percent on pull-up twos (38% average for forwards) on almost 1.5 attempts per game.

The Knicks will certainly not expect him to attempt many pull-ups, but they can rest assured knowing that he is capable of knocking down jumpers off the bounce.

Thomas was not as effective when driving to the hoop last season. He drove to the basket multiple times per game and attempted about one shot per game off of said drives, but shot just 39 percent on these plays compared to the 45 percent average for forwards.

He was below average league-wide on all shots taken between 0-to-7 feet from the hoop. He operates much more effectively outside the paint as an efficient, above average mid-range and 3-point shooter.

Just give him some room.

Feb 24, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indiana Pacers forward Paul George (13) drives to the basket against New York Knicks forward Lance Thomas (42) at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Defense

Lance Thomas has the reputation of a high-energy, high-effort defender. Kristaps Porzingis called him a “warrior,” and asked Thomas to resign with the team this offseason. The New YorkKnicks will rely heavily on his defense off the bench.

He was responsible last season for sticking some of the deadliest offensive forwards in the league, both off the bench and as a starter replacing an injured Carmelo Anthony.

Yes, Thomas, a relative unknown to the casual fan, had to guard those elite, transcendent talents that we refer to by just initials and jersey numbers.

KD. LBJ. PG13.

In fact, the Knicks were confident enough in his defensive prowess to cross-match on occasion to allow Thomas to match up with top guards like James Harden and DeMar DeRozan.

His battles with the NBA’s most devastating offensive weapons, both his triumphs and his failures, provide an illuminating look at Thomas as a defender.

Defense: The Good

If nothing else, Lance Thomas has proven that he can hold his own in 1-on-1 scenarios against the league’s best. Paul George gets a step on Thomas in the first clip above, but Thomas is able to use his body, without fouling, to slow George down and force a tough shot.

This also gives Kyle O’Quinn more time to slide over and help out by blocking PG’s already awkward attempt.

In the second clip, George hits a buzzer-beater, but not before throwing damn near every move in his repertoire at Thomas to no avail. Thomas stays in PG’s jersey for the entire possession, doesn’t bite on the pump fake, and contests the jumper as well as a defender can without fouling.

This level of defense is more often than not rewarded with a missed shot. Ask James Harden.

Thomas’ best defensive performance of 2015-16 came in a 107-102 victory over Harden’s Rockets in late November. This is the Lance Thomas the Knicks need on defense this upcoming season.

Look at him fight through screens to stay securely within Harden’s personal space. Look at him contest Harden’s signature step-back, one of the NBA’s most well-known and most-effective dribble moves. Look at him save Arron Afflalo with a brilliant weak side block after Harden burns Afflalo to a crisp with a quick back cut.

He stays in front of Harden in multiple isolation situations and works to contest each and every shot.

However, in the midst of Thomas’ defensive clinic, he revealed perhaps his biggest and most glaring weakness: screens.

Defense: The Bad

In the clip above, from that very same late November outing, Lance Thomas fails to anticipate the screen heading his way and is late reacting to it. He then slides under the screen, a mortal sin when chasing a sharpshooter like James Harden, and is too slow recovering to impact the shot in any meaningful way.

We saw him fight through many screens against Harden above, but the film reveals that he was far more likely to get caught up in screens than he was to successfully fight through them last season.

In the video above, OKC employs Steven Adams and others to relentlessly screen the living hell out of Thomas, as Thomas repeatedly struggles to fight through picks. This results in several easy jumpers and driving lanes to the basket for Kevin Durant.

KD even gives Thomas a break and misses a few bunnies that he would typically bury.

Thomas’ lack of athleticism rears its ugly head in these situations, as he’s not quick enough or long enough to recover when faced with a strong screen. Guarding skilled shooters like Durant amplifies his issues here, as his lack of quickness renders it impossible for him to follow his man around screens, since sliding under is not an option.

He’s not particularly good at sliding under screens when guarding less-threatening jump-shooters either. He’s not quick enough to slide under and recover. By the time he does, his man has already found a clear lane to the basket.

This forces more help defense and can easily result in a total defensive breakdown leading to an open jumper.

Oct 8, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Lance Thomas (42) shoots over Brooklyn Nets guard Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (24) during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports

What the Knicks Need From Lance Thomas

So what do we know about Lance Thomas? His teammates think highly of his effort and work ethic. He has a very limited offensive skill set, but excels when given room to shoot, especially from long distance.

He’s capable of shooting midrange jumpers off the dribble if necessary, but struggles around the rim and on drives to the hoop.

He can hold his own defensively in isolation situations against the league’s most lethal scorers. He struggles with anticipating and fighting through screens, both on and off-ball. His lack of athleticism and length compounds this issue.

The Knicks need their bench to be somewhat productive if they plan on sniffing the playoffs. Thomas is going to be a huge factor here as a major piece of a second unit that is shaky at best—at least on paper.

If Lance Thomas is able to keep up his 2015-16 level of play and improve upon his defensive shortcomings, the bench mob should be in good hands.