Arron Afflalo is having a resurgent year with the Knicks. Elsa/Getty The New York Knicks took a low-risk, if questionable, gamble this offseason when they signed Arron Afflalo.

Needing depth on the wing, they gave Afflalo a two-year, $16 million contract that, while not overly exorbitant, seemed like a stretch given Afflalo's 2014-2015 season.

Afflalo was a near All-Star in 2013-2014 with the Orlando Magic, averaging 18 points, three rebounds, and three assists a game while shooting 46% from the field and 42% from 3-point range.

In the offseason he was dealt to Denver, where he then struggled. On the surface, Afflalo's numbers looked fine — 14 points a game, three rebounds, 43% shooting, 34% in 3-pointers. But it was his lowest scoring average in four seasons and his worst shooting average since his rookie year in 2008.

Afflalo was traded midyear from the Nuggets to the Trail Blazers, where he was a mess on the floor. Afflalo shot just 41% from the floor and had a -37 net rating in the playoffs — the worst of any Blazers player. After being acquired to boost the team's offense and perimeter defense, he was basically unplayable in the postseason.

Afflalo's regression was highly disappointing after several solid years, with All-Star consideration just a year before.

When the Knicks gave Afflalo a $16 million deal in the offseason — with the second year being a player option — it was met with skepticism. Sports Illustrated gave the signing a C+, saying there was no harm in it but probably not much reward either. ESPN's Kevin Pelton said he projected Afflalo to be a below-replacement-level player the next two years.

Through Sunday's games, however, Afflalo now looks like one of the smartest signings this past offseason. His averages of 15 points a game with three rebounds on 50% shooting (35% from 3) are at or above his career averages, and his value on the floor is irreplaceable for the Knicks. Afflalo has gotten particularly hot over the past five games, in which the Knicks are 4-1, averaging 20 points a game on 56% shooting including 43% from downtown.

With Afflalo on the floor, the Knicks are outscoring opponents by 2.5 points per 100 possessions, the best mark on the team. While that's not a massive number, it is significant on a 14-14 team with a negative net rating as a whole.

When Afflalo is playing, the team's offensive rating jumps several points, to 106.6 from 100.6. Perhaps most impressive is that with Afflalo off the court, the team's offensive rating falls to 95.8 points per 100 possessions. To put it in other terms: with Afflalo on the court, the Knicks are scoring at the rate of the third-best offense in the NBA; when he's off the court, they're scoring at the rate of the second-worst offense in the NBA.

A huge part of Afflalo's game has come as a post-up scorer, as Posting and Toasting's Seth Rosenthal notes. Afflalo has been incredibly efficient as a post-up scorer, averaging 1.2 points a possession, shooting 62% on post-ups — fourth best in the NBA.

He has made a living of taking smaller players into the post on mismatches, as he does here to Cavs guard Mo Williams.

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Or to Rockets guard Patrick Beverley:

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What makes Afflalo even more valuable is the price at which he came to the Knicks. Though Afflalo wasn't the most valuable wing player on the market this summer, his contract looks paltry compared with the $70 million Khris Middleton got from the Bucks and Wesley Matthews got from the Mavericks, the $60 million DeMarre Carroll got from the Raptors, or the $40 million Danny Green got from the Spurs.

Again, Afflalo wasn't on their level of play last season, but he's now making about half of what Middleton, Matthews, and Carroll make. Thus far, he's averaging more points and shooting better from the field than all four, rebounding at the second-best level, and producing the second-most wins, according to Basketball Reference.

The Knicks didn't have the splashiest offseason, but they made a few solid, under-the-radar signings, and none look smarter than Afflalo's. If the Knicks can get back into the playoffs in the suddenly competitive Eastern Conference, Afflalo will be a big reason.