Alexey Shved is on a tear for the Knicks. Will it last?

By Satchel Price on Mar 18, 2015

After years of bouncing around the league, Alexey Shved appears to have found success in New York. But is it a fluke?

Even in this age of digital information, you sometimes read something that will surprise you:

Alexey Shved, Langston Galloway help Knicks stun Spurs in OT

That's an actual headline from Tuesday night. The Knicks, led by a pair of guys who weren't even on the team to begin the season, beat the league's defending champions. Afterwards, Gregg Popovich called the loss "pathetic," because teams with Tim Duncan and Kawhi Leonard aren't supposed to lose to teams with Alexey Shved and Langston Galloway.

That Shved and Galloway are playing such big roles shows where this Knicks season has gone, but they're also reminders of the opportunities a bad team can afford. Shved and Galloway were largely off the radar a few months ago. Now, they're the top performers in the NBA's biggest market.

We first heard about Galloway -- who turned heads with some monster dunks and now challenges Tim Hardaway Jr. as the team's top young player -- back in January. Over the past few weeks Shved, a 26-year-old Russian guard who's already on his fourth NBA team in three years, has had a similar breakout.

Was NYC the opportunity he was waiting for? It appears so.

The long road

Originally signed out of Russia by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2013, Shved struggled through two years with the franchise as he adjusted to the NBA life. The Timberwolves hoped to create a big, international backcourt partnering Shved with point guard Ricky Rubio, but the idea was undermined by the duo's inability to shoot.

That led general manager Flip Saunders to trade Shved to the Philadelphia 76ers last summer as part of the three-team deal that sent Kevin Love to Cleveland. Despite joining another bad team in need of backcourt help, Shved's stint in Philly wouldn't last long. He was traded to the Rockets as part of another three-team swap just a couple months into the season.

Shved played just 17 games with the Sixers before being used as fodder in Sam Hinkie's eternal quest to compile draft picks, and his stint with Houston would be even briefer -- six games -- before the Rockets traded him and picks to New York in exchange for Pablo Prigioni prior to the trade deadline.

That's a long, tough road for a player -- four cities in less than three years, with two stints lasting just a few months -- but it may have been just what Shved needed. Derek Fisher has given him a bigger role than ever before, and he's managed to step up with some solid play.

Is the breakout legit?

On the other hand, when you look at Shved's road to New York, it's hard not to notice that two of the worst teams in the league bailed on him. If the Russian guard was really some uncovered gem waiting to be discovered, he wouldn't have failed in so many other situations, right? This isn't quite Hassan Whiteside coming out of nowhere -- Shved's been around and usually he's been terrible.

Development in basketball isn't linear, though, and it's possible Shved needed extra time to adjust to the NBA game and life in the United States. After growing up as a rising star in Russia, he was asked to make a lot of changes in leaping to the NBA. Since joining the Knicks and being handed the reins, Shved's looked as comfortable as ever.

And the numbers, quite frankly, are amazing:

Knicks          Off. Rating  Def. Rating  Net Rating
With Shved      99.4         103.1        -3.7
Without Shved   90.2         110.3        -20.1

It's startling how bad the Knicks have been without Shved since he joined the team. That may partially be a function of those who play behind him -- Shane Larkin is the primary backup point guard -- but the Knicks go from respectable pro basketball team to shoddy YMCA pickup outfit when he leaves the game.

There are other reasons to believe Shved has tapped into his potential, sample sizes withstanding. Three-point shooting has long been one of the guard's biggest issues, but with New York, he's taking 4.1 threes per game and hitting 36 percent of them. He's also drawing free throws at a very high rate (5.6 per game) and doing a great job of limiting turnovers (1.9 per game).

So while the overall shooting percentage of 40 percent isn't great, Shved's finding a lot of other ways to prop up his efficiency. His PER has improved from 10.2 last season in Minnesota to 21.5 in his time with New York. His impact can also be clearly seen on the defensive end, where his size (6'6) allows the team to do a lot more on the perimeter compared to when Larkin (5'11) is out there.

Even if Shved isn't quite as good as the PER and on-off numbers would indicate, it's clear he's been a valuable part of Fisher's rotation. He doesn't have much room to take a step back with that shooting percentage, but he's also proving he can be effective even if his shot never becomes more than acceptable.

The future

If Shved continues to play this well for the remainder of the season, teams will surely have interest in his services come summertime. His original contract expires at the end of this season, and as an unrestricted free agent, he'll be able to leave the Knicks if he wants.

However, with the big contracts of Amar'e Stoudemire and Andrea Bargnani coming off the books, the Knicks will have money to spend. And while Shved may be seeking a payday after putting together arguably the best stretch of his career, it's possible he wants to keep a good thing going by sticking where he's finally found success.

This whole situation was unthinkable just a few months ago, but Shved indeed appears to have finally figured out how to fit his game in the NBA. Whether he seeks a payday or the chance to stay in New York, he's playing well enough to stick around for a while.

http://www.sbnation.com/2015/3/18/8245065/alexey-shved-knicks-breakout-statistics-2015

TripleThreat wrote:Part of the issue is, if any of these guys carry over, how well will they, or will they not, mesh with Melo on the floor.

I think that's the more critical question.

Nothing about Melo's history with the Knicks indicates he's going to be ok with another ball dominant player. And Shved is going to need the ball in his hands to be productive. If Melo is the ball dominant player, then Shved won't be able to offer up consistent established long range shooting chops to keep the floor spacing even.

The Knicks simply play better team basketball without Melo on the floor.

Can Schved help the Knicks is one issue.

Will Melo's limitations neutralize Schved is another.

Melo played with billips who was the ball handler in Denver ...if melo can't play with shved or any other player who handles the ball to create for there teammates and makes everyone better by creating open shots (melo is a teammate)as well as create for themselves... We have a way bigger problem with melo at hand ... Has he developed Rudy gay syndrome ?

Shved doesn't have to be a superstar in order to be a good player for this team. Shved is kind of like Prigs in that the Knicks efficiency was vastly improved when Prigs was on the floor, but with Shved he won't turn down shots and he can get to the basket. That's a HUGE part of the game we've been missing since Lin left. PG penetration and finishing or drawing he foul. The thing that makes Shved more effective is that he's a shot creator and has no conscience. Sometimes that's exactly what you need next to a ball dominant scorer. Shved is the kind of player that will call his own number or pass to another open teammate, even with Melo calling for the ball.

yellowboy90 wrote:The numbers are less amazing than some think. It kind of says he sucks but he doesn't suck as bad as the other players. It shows he is still a net negative and is lacking on D.

Zach Lowe is a very good writer and here is his observation.

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-2015-marc-gasol-all-stars-your-guide-to-the-most-watchable-players-in-the-nba/

10. Alexey Shved’s Defense

Shved’s been piling up stats across the box score, filling minutes for the league’s most miserable watch — but if he keeps blatantly mailing in defense, he’ll remain on the edge of NBA extinction. Shved treats every perimeter player like a total nonshooter, giving them a laughable amount of air space in which to drive. And when those players do drive, Shved just backs up with them, maintaining the same distance. He’s allergic to contact.

Shved has shown some nice things on offense but I don't think teams are going to be banging on the door of the "best offensive player" on the worst team in the league when that offense still sucks.

I pay him the 4 million

BRIGGS wrote:

yellowboy90 wrote:The numbers are less amazing than some think. It kind of says he sucks but he doesn't suck as bad as the other players. It shows he is still a net negative and is lacking on D.

Zach Lowe is a very good writer and here is his observation.

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-2015-marc-gasol-all-stars-your-guide-to-the-most-watchable-players-in-the-nba/

10. Alexey Shved’s Defense

Shved’s been piling up stats across the box score, filling minutes for the league’s most miserable watch — but if he keeps blatantly mailing in defense, he’ll remain on the edge of NBA extinction. Shved treats every perimeter player like a total nonshooter, giving them a laughable amount of air space in which to drive. And when those players do drive, Shved just backs up with them, maintaining the same distance. He’s allergic to contact.

Shved has shown some nice things on offense but I don't think teams are going to be banging on the door of the "best offensive player" on the worst team in the league when that offense still sucks.

There is no doubt that Alex needs to go through a serious weigh training regimen starting this summer. Hes slight of build and can get pushed around on D. With 10 extra pounds--I think we would see good improvement and if we are dedicated to him in a multi year contract--then that is what we ask of him back.

Yes but the question is why hasn't he put the work in before? I guess some players never get it. Jamaal Crawford just started lifting weights over the summer. Will Shved have a wake up call or will he continue down that road. Maybe Shved sees his NBA door closing and that will turn him around but there are just so many things he has to improve on top of gaining strength.

yellowboy90 wrote:

mreinman wrote:

yellowboy90 wrote:The numbers are less amazing than some think. It kind of says he sucks but he doesn't suck as bad as the other players. It shows he is still a net negative and is lacking on D.

Zach Lowe is a very good writer and here is his observation.

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/the-2015-marc-gasol-all-stars-your-guide-to-the-most-watchable-players-in-the-nba/

10. Alexey Shved’s Defense

Shved’s been piling up stats across the box score, filling minutes for the league’s most miserable watch — but if he keeps blatantly mailing in defense, he’ll remain on the edge of NBA extinction. Shved treats every perimeter player like a total nonshooter, giving them a laughable amount of air space in which to drive. And when those players do drive, Shved just backs up with them, maintaining the same distance. He’s allergic to contact.

Shved has shown some nice things on offense but I don't think teams are going to be banging on the door of the "best offensive player" on the worst team in the league when that offense still sucks.

I pay him the 4 million

If the knicks strike out in FA then sure $4m is nothing but what that would do is decrease the cap. IF they get him to sign for the exception($2.5m) the Knicks will have for being under the cap then that would save that $4m. The problem is that the QO has to offered the day after the season end. I guess since he would not be a top propriety for most teams they could give him the QO then potentially make some verbal agreements to bigger FAs and rescind the QO if needed.

My eye test tells me that he will be the next Dragic and if you don't see it then you ARE DEAD WRONG!

holfresh wrote:Can Melo play with Shved..Hilarious..

Our major worry as Knick fans is about whether the best player we've had in years can't play with middling NBDL players.

Unreal.

gunsnewing wrote:Svhed's number will be hanging from the rafters at MSG. Bank on it!

Finally some sanity.