SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Alec Burks’ shortest appearance of the season and the guard’s shortest in more than five years.
Just 4 minutes and 18 seconds into Thursday’s win over the Trail Blazers, the veteran guard was pulled for two straight missed shots and a turnover early in the second quarter.
He sat throughout the second half and watched Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Miles McBride rotate through the backcourt.
Tom Thibodeau confirmed Burks’ benching was not due to injury.
“It’s just basketball,” the coach added, “It’s basketball.”
This move was not surprising.
Burks was supposed to be the spark for the offense heading into the playoffs and beyond, but the 32-year-old has been woefully ineffective since being acquired from the Pistons last month.
He shot 31 percent overall and 28 percent from beyond the arc, the lowest numbers of his career when extrapolating the season.
Additionally, he exhibits the same black hole tendencies toward ball that were evident, though less pronounced, during his previous stint in New York two seasons ago.
Through 14 games this season, Burks has averaged more turnovers than assists, which is a red flag for any ball handler.
His detached style and tunnel vision have been counterproductive given his efficiency.
But that didn’t stop Barks from trying his hand at creating things himself.
His usage rate ranks third on the Knicks behind Brunson and Julius Randle.
He also ranks third on the Knicks in dribbles per touch behind Brunson and McBride.
Unsurprisingly, Thibodeau’s most referenced statistic, Burks’ net rating is -18.8, the lowest on the team.
Overall, the bench unit has struggled with Burks in the rotation.
Fellow rookie Bojan Bogdanovic has not performed as well as advertised.
“When you make an in-season trade, there’s an adjustment period that you have to go through, and that’s where we are,” Thibodeau said. “Despite everything going on, we have to find a way to win.”
As for Burks, Thibodeau’s adjustment was to slowly reduce his playing time.
The first move was to give McBride a spot in front of Burks in the rotation, which was evident on the court by the end of February.
Burks played just five minutes a game last week, then less than five minutes in Portland.
De’Aaron Fox has been one of the NBA’s best players since the All-Star break, but Donte DiVincenzo didn’t want the Knicks to forget about another Kings star ahead of Saturday’s matchup.
“You talk a lot about Fox, [Domantas] Sabonis is doing what he’s doing.I think he leads the league in triple doubles. [with 23, above No. 2 Nikola Jokic]” said DiVincenzo, who played with Fox and Sabonis in Sacramento two seasons ago. “So it’s hard to tell who’s the head of the snake while the fox is the focus, because they’re so balanced over there.”
The Kings (38-27), who will play at MSG next month, are the last remaining NBA team the Knicks (39-27) have not played this season.
They also have two days off between home games and are operating on a rest advantage, an ideal situation against teams with similar records.
“You can’t really look at the record,” DiVincenzo said. “If you look closely, they have some bad losses, but they beat really good teams over and over again. They’re one of the top teams in the league, so I think they have to be ready.”
The biggest showdown will be Fox, who has averaged more than 28 points since the All-Star break, and Brunson, who dropped 45 points in Thursday’s win over the Blazers.
