Corner threes are nice when you can get them! The Knicks have seemed to find corner threes in flurries this season, and I reckon their success producing those looks for guys who can hit them is a decent litmus test for their overall offensive competence on any given night.
I can think of three very simple ways the Knicks generate corner threes:
1. Entering the ball to Robin Lopez in the post, then setting cross-screens and hoping someone pops free
2. High pick-and-roll
3. Just isolating Carmelo Anthony in the high post and letting him chuck lasers when help comes, like this last night:
That's all good! Here's one more way to get a corner three -- something we've chatted about before in the comments because of its resemblance to the Spurs' "hammer" sets:
We begin in the Triangle, and Derrick Williams feeding the second option (weak-side guard, Sasha Vujacic). Sasha engages the weak-side big, Kyle O'Quinn, in a little dribble hand-off action, and now we're cooking:
Crucial here is that Vujacic cuts close to O'Quinn, collecting the ball and brushing off Allen Crabbe in the process. He's got a clean look at the rim if the Blazers don't help, so they help.
Meanwhile, Derrick Williams is setting a (weak) screen for Langston Galloway, then continuing through it. His man, Meyers Leonard, is the one who rotates to help on Vujacic's drive. Lance Thomas sees where this is going and directs Williams to the corner:
Sasha finds Williams in the corner, Lance blocks off Mo Harkless a bit, and Williams has himself a clean, open look from one of his most effective spots:
Defenses try to expose only the furthest fringes of the floor when they help. A play like this is run to exploit exactly those fringes. A bit of misdirection, a direct feed to the weak side, and three easy points. Good!