FanPost

Landry Fields Appreciation Post

So, here we are, fellow Knicks fans, standing at the edge of a new era. Some of us like what we see. Some of us are afraid. Most of us are going to miss our friends what got sent up the river. At times of great uncertainty, it's important to reflect and take stock of what we have. And what we have is this: Landry Fields, starting shooting guard for the New York Knicks.

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via 29.media.tumblr.com

(this is the Landryest Snuggie of all time)

Here are some things you may or may not know about Landry:

Landry was born on June 27. June 27 is Independence Day for Djibouti. You may now say Djibouti.

Landry was the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for November.

Landry was the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for December.

Landry's middle initial is "S", which stands for "Steal of the Draft" (credit to Russ).

True shooting % (TS%) is a stat that combines 2pt FG% and 3pt FG% to account for the extra point you get for 3s. Landry's TS% is .615 - 9th in the NBA - ahead of Dwight Howard, Paul Pierce, and Chris Paul, just to name a few.

Landry averages 7.1 rebounds per game. That's the most of any guard in the league.

Landry shoots 39.9% from behind the arc. That's 28th in the league among players who have hit more than 50 3s. The best he ever shot in college was 36.8%, and the college 3pt line is about 12 feet closer than in the NBA, so he has improved a lot.

Landry is shooting 47.8% from 3pt range in February. If he keeps improving at this rate, he should be hitting close to 100% of his 3s by the start of next season.

Landry has 4.1 Win Shares this season. That means that without Landry, the Knicks would be one-tenth of a game behind Indiana for the 8th seed. That would NOT be Landry. (more information on Win Shares is available here)

On the second night of back to backs, Landry shoots 30.3% from behind the arc. With a day off, he shoots 37.9%. With two days off, he shoots 42.5%. With three or more days off, he shoots 83.3%!!! So basically this Wednesday Landry is going to set a new Knicks record for 3s in a game. As Marquus points out, the record will not necessarily be for the quantity of 3s that he hits, but for the fact that he will attempt four 3s and make five of them.

Which brings me to this final thought. With Gallo and Chandler now playing on top of some mountain or something, the Knicks' outside shooting is going to be all about Landry. He's going to have to be hitting them from the weakside on the PnR. He's going to have to be ready for the kickout if the D collapses on Melo or Amare. Basically he's going to have to step up even more than he already has. But you know what? He can handle it. Because Landry Fields is really, really Landry. And the Knicks are still the Landryest team in the league. No matter how we feel about this trade, that's something we can all enjoy.