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With training camp less than one month away, we’re examining the burning questions facing the New York Knicks. Today’s question: Who is the Knicks' most important defensive player? Defense -- or lack thereof -- was one of the most glaring issues during the team's forgettable 37-win season last year. In case you need evidence to support this theory, here are the numbers: New York last season ranked a paltry 24th in defensive efficiency, a measure of points allowed per 100 possessions. The club ranked 28th in points allowed per shot. So the big question entering the preseason is, how will this year be different for New York? With that in mind, we take a look below at two players who may be key to the Knicks' defense this season: On the perimeter: Iman Shumpert Guarding the perimeter and the pick-and-roll were two of the Knicks' biggest issues on D last year. New York was outscored by an averaged of nine points per 48 minutes at point guard last season, per 82games.com. They were outscored by six points per 48 minutes at shooting guard, according to the web site. Opposing shooting guards and point guards combined to shoot slightly better than 50 percent against New York last season. Ouch. And, as was pointed out by Joe Flynn at SB Nation's Posting and Toasting blog, the Knicks were awful at defending the 3-point shot, allowing opponents to hit 37.1 percent of their threes (27th in the NBA). Raymond Felton was the player most often blamed for the Knicks' perimeter defense. So you couldn't find many fans who were upset when Felton was shipped to Dallas earlier this summer. But Felton's replacement, Jose Calderon, isn't known as a defensive stopper. Last season, Calderon’s "defensive real plus-minus" was a minus-3.56, which was 72nd among point guards. Defensive real plus-minus measures a player's defensive contributions based on points allowed per 100 defensive possessions. That's why we think Shumpert will be so vital to the Knicks' defense this season. Depending on the backcourt pairings, Shumpert may be called upon to support Calderon on the perimeter. And based on recent history, the fourth-year guard should be up to the task. Shumpert put together a defensive plus-minus rating of plus-2.00, which ranked him fourth among all shooting guards and first among shooting guards who played at least 25 minutes per game last year. If he can duplicate that number, particularly when paired with Calderon, Shumpert's play should help make the Knicks a competent defensive club. In the paint: Samuel Dalembert I know there was a vocal segment of Knicks fans who were happy to see Tyson Chandler traded to Dallas, but his absence may leave a void in the paint and around the rim. It will be up to Samuel Dalembert, Cole Aldrich, Jason Smith and others to fill that void. There are many defensive metrics available, but predicting how well the players mentioned above will defend the rim is difficult. It's hard to quantity an individual's impact on defense, because that individual's defensive statistics can be contingent upon the four players he's sharing the floor with. That being said, if we are basing things on last year's stats, it seems like Dalembert will be able to fill in admirably for Chandler. Chandler allowed opponents to shoot 51 percent at the rim, which was ninth among NBA centers, according to NBA.com. Dalembert, playing 10 fewer minutes per game than Chandler, allowed opponents to shoot 52 percent at the rim. So Dalembert compares favorably there. Also, Dalembert grabbed 45.8 percent of contested rebounds last season, per NBA.com. Chandler corralled just 35.8 percent of contested rebounds. So Dalembert may be an improvement on the boards for the Knicks. Either way, his performance around the paint and at the rim could be key for a Knicks team looking to re-establish an identity on that side of the ball. Question: Who do you think the Knicks' most important defensive player will be this season? You can follow Ian Begley on Twitter.
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