Portland Trail Blazers

What the numbers say about Arron Afflalo

Published Jul. 6, 2015 12:54 p.m. ET

foxsports

The Knicks have become the team that consistently doles out reasonable contracts for undervalued players. Who would've ever thought that?

Arron Afflalo was one of those guys, signing on to play for New York on a two-year, $16 million contract. Now, ESPN's Ian Begley writes about Afflalo's potential effect inside the Knicks' schemes:

Afflalo averaged 13.3 points on 42-35-82 shooting for the Trail Blazers and the Nuggets this past season.

(H/t ESPN.)

Photo Credit: AP Photo/Willie J. Allen Jr.

Afflalo is a strong midrange shooter. He hit 46.1 percent of his midrange shots last season -- the tenth-highest percentage in the league (minimum 200 attempts).

Afflalo’s field-goal percentage in the midrange was nearly seven percent higher than the league average (39.6 percent).

The midrange shot, of course, is considered one of the least valuable in basketball among many analysts. For better or for worse (worse, mostly), the Knicks relied heavily on the shot during their 17-win season.

New York ranked fourth in the NBA in field goal attempts per game between 15-19 feet last season.

If the Knicks continue this trend next season, Afflalo could benefit.