New York Knicks: Trey Burke making case for long-term future with NYK
The New York Knicks signed Trey Burke to create competition at the point guard position. At times, he’s been the best point guard on the roster.
The New York Knicks have a chance to build a compelling long-term backcourt with 19-year-old Frank Ntilikina and 21-year-old Emmanuel Mudiay. Both are 6’5″ point guards with long wingspans and skill sets that tend to offset one another’s weaknesses.
In the two games since the 2018 NBA All-Star Break, however, it’s been the other point guard on the roster who has stolen headlines: Trey Burke.
Burke entered All-Star Weekend in basketball limbo. Mudiay and Ntilikina both play point guard, which created the fair and rational belief that one would start and the other would become the featured backup.
With Ntilikina playing in more of an off-ball role in recent games, however, an opportunity was created for Burke to make his mark.
Burke was selected at No. 9 overall in the 2013 NBA Draft after being named college basketball’s National Player of the Year in 2012-13. His professional career got off to a tumultuous start, however, which ultimately landed him in the G League with the Westchester Knicks.
Through 15 appearances, however, Burke has validated the belief that he could rediscover his magic with the New York Knicks.
Burke is currently averaging 9.9 points, 3.4 assists, 1.3 rebounds, and 0.7 three-point field goals made in just 15.0 minutes per game. He’s producing with remarkable efficiency, shooting 53.9 percent from the floor on an average of 7.7 field goal attempts per game.
Those numbers may not jump off the page at first, but they translate to averages of 23.7 points, 8.2 assists, 3.2 rebounds, 1.0 steal, and 1.8 three-point field goals made per 36 minutes.
It’s fair to believe that Burke won’t average 24 points and eight assists per game. What he’s done since the All-Star Break, however, is establish that he’s capable of producing those type of numbers when they’re needed.
More importantly: He’s created momentum for a push towards a long-term future with the organization that gave him a shot at redemption.
Burke returned from All-Star Weekend with an explosive performance against the Orlando Magic on Thursday, Feb. 22. He posted 26 points, six assists, four rebounds, one block, and a steal in 30 minutes of stellar play.
Most agreed that he wouldn’t repeat that success the next time out, but he managed to produce 26 points, eight assists, and one steal against the Boston Celtics on Saturday, Feb. 24.
One could argue that Orlando isn’t exactly a dynamic team, but Boston is 42-19 and on pace for 56 wins. That certainly creates an interesting precedent, as Burke has now scored at least 18 points in all three games during which he’s received at least 25 minutes in 2017-18.
There’s no telling what type of success Burke can sustain, but the early return on this investment has been nothing short of riveting.
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The question is: Can Trey Burke secure a full-time role that will give him a long-term future with the New York Knicks?