New York Knicks: Can Allonzo Trier make an All-Rookie team?

1. Trier’s role may expand further before the season ends

While the New York Knicks have thrived off Allonzo Trier’s play, head coach David Fizdale has used him off the bench each game, albeit in 22.4 minutes per game. It’s already an unusual number for an undrafted rookie, especially this early in his career, but it would not be a surprise to see it expand.

Trier already made 26 and 25-minute appearances in the first and third games, respectively, so it’s not a small role. Can he at least maintain this?

All-Rookie teams feature players who not only produced a standout stat line, but received the minutes to do so. 2017-18’s first-teamers—Kyle Kuzma, Lauri Markkanen, Donovan Mitchell, Ben Simmons and Jayson Tatum—all played 25 or more minutes per game. A similar case went for the second-teamers, who all crossed the 20 mark.

For now, Trier has the playing time numbers checked off, even with 79 games left. As long as he continues to shoot well and force Fizdale to make more public praise, his role will stick.

With players to provide minutes for, Trier’s role may not expand further than 20-25 minutes per game, but if it does, obviously look for the correlation in points, rebounds and assists. He might not provide enough in the latter two, but as New York’s third scorer before the season’s end, who knows how much it will boost his production.

It’s an opportunity for Trier to grasp as the season deepens. Look for him to do this, especially in this developmental year, where young players receive opportunities to shine.