There are many better names to fill the playmaker position for the Knicks than future 33-year-old DJ Augustin, but that doesn’t mean the veteran guard should be overlooked.
If New York is committed to empowering their young players to succeed without sacrificing their lottery chances ahead of a stacked 2021 draft class, Augustin could be a handsome player to bridge the gap until the Knicks find. a long-term solution to ease their offense.
After two productive seasons with the Magic, an injury reduced Augustin’s production in 2019-20, but there’s still reason to believe he can have a positive influence. In a year off, playing for a bad team in Orlando, formations that included Augustin had a net positive score (+3.8) that ranked in the top 74th percentile of the league, according to Cleaning the Glass.
How did they get there? Mainly because of his direction. As a ball handler in the pick-and-roll, Augustin ranked near the top quarter of the league (73rd percentile) in terms of scoring efficiency, something that matters a lot when thinking about finding a point guard who can maximize the role. by Mitchell Robinson in the offense. Over 50 percent of Augustin’s game types last season came with him as the lead facilitator in pick-and-roll situations.
The chance to sign Augustin doesn’t come down to the money – it should be relatively cheap – but the fact that several teams will be looking for affordable additions in a capped year could make the competition to secure his services higher than normal.