New York Knicks: Stock up, stock down for players on March 14
Which New York Knicks have seen their stock trend up or down throughout March?
The New York Knicks continue to inch their way to the 2018-19 season’s finish line. With a 13-55 record, they own the NBA’s worst record and have just 14 games to play, including Friday night’s matchup with the San Antonio Spurs.
Players are still suiting up for the Knicks, and contributing, however. Some have performed well. Others have not in March.
Especially as New York evaluates players for the 2019-20 roster, some have potentially helped themselves towards this outcome or just improving their overall stock for a trade, pending one is made this summer.
After two weeks in March, which players are on the rise and who is on rocky ground right now? Let’s take a look:
Also:
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) March 14, 2019
Allonzo Trier averages since All-Star break:
15.8 points, 3.6 rebs, 1.3 assists, 1.9 turnovers, 59.9% TS%
Money left on Trier contract: $3.5 million
(h/t @Vertical_Gotham) https://t.co/XxDYUbLoeN
Allonzo Trier: Stock Up
Slash Line since March 1: .415/.480/.639
Averages since March 1: 14.8 PPG, 3.5 RPG, 1.3 APG, 0.5 SPG, 2.0 3PM
Allonzo Trier was a revelation off the bench for the New York Knicks to open the season. He outplayed the two-way contract by a country mile and earned an NBA contract in December. A hamstring injury followed shortly after, however, and once he returned, he did not play the same.
Since mid-February, the Arizona product has rediscovered the momentum that had Knicks fans buzzing in the fall, and it continued into March, with an impressive stat line and improved three-points shooting.
Perimeter shooting was in question for Trier, who was only taking one or two outside attempts per game. Since March 1, he has 4.2 attempts per game and makes nearly half of them.
It’s obviously a positive in the 23-year-old’s development, as he carves a role with the Knicks for potentially the foreseeable future. The only question is if it will be enough to exercise a $3.5 million team option, which the front office has until June 20 to decide on. Any other team would pick it up, but doing so impacts available salary cap for the NBA’s top free agents this summer.
There are no guarantees for anything after July 1, so Trier should stick with the Knicks. Whether they follow through on the rookie guard is unknown.