New York Knicks: Evaluating the puzzling Allonzo Trier situation

The New York Knicks appeared to have found a diamond in the rough in 2018-19, but Allonzo Trier couldn’t find much playing time in 2019-20. Why?

The New York Knicks have been surprisingly successful at finding diamonds in the rough in recent years. Mitchell Robinson was a steal of a second-round draft pick in 2018, and 2019 second-round draft pick Ignas Brazeikis has been setting the G League ablaze.

One of the more impressive acquisitions of the Scott Perry era is one who managed to undrafted: Allonzo Trier

Trier entered undrafted free agency in 2018, but the Knicks wasted little time before signing him to a multi-year deal. What followed was a rookie season during which Trier looked the part of a potential Sixth Man of the Year candidate.

That makes it all the more puzzling that Trier has appeared in just 24 games with an average of 12.1 minutes played per outing during the 2019-20 season.

Perhaps Trier’s score-first mentality is no longer a fit for a team that’s looking to develop RJ Barrett in the mold of the NBA’s top perimeter scorers. It’s equally as possible that Trier’s defensive shortcomings have resulted in his riding the pine.

The same has occurred with 2018 first-round draft pick Kevin Knox, who’s averaging 17.9 minutes of action per game in 2019-20.

That’s a drastic decline from the 28.8 minutes per game that Knox saw as a rookie.

Regardless of what the reason may be, it doesn’t appear as though Trier is viewed in the same light as he was last season. His playing time decreased in a devastating manner, and there’s no guaranteeing that the Knicks will be re-signing him this coming summer.

According to Marc Berman of The New York Post, that hasn’t changed Trier’s approach to being supportive of his team and teammates.

"“I just lock in on the team goal and know it’s not just about me,’’ Trier said. “I can’t be worried about if I’m not playing. I have to be worried what’s going on with the team. And there’s different ways I can help the team if I’m not playing like at practice. Or just continue to get better as a player.’’"

One would imagine that Trier would prefer to be on the court, but that’s a veteran’s approach to a difficult situation.

The numbers indicate that Trier is still capable of providing significant offensive value. He’s averaging 19.2 points and 3.5 assists per 36 minutes, shooting 48.1 percent from the field and 35.8 percent from beyond the arc.

Unfortunately, the Knicks are also scoring 6.2 more points per 100 possessions when Trier is on the bench than when he’s on the court.

On the scouting front, Trier’s career in New York should be viewed as a win for the Knicks. The front office found an undrafted player, gave him a chance to produce, and he proved to have a skill set that was worthy of their gamble.

The mystery simply remains as to why he hasn’t been able to go any further.

It may or may not work out on the court, but Trier’s character has set a high bar for the players who will follow him—and set a strong example of the type of character players whom the Knicks are looking for.

Per Berman:

"“I’m confident in me as a player,’’ Trier said. “I know what I bring to the table. I know what I can do. And how hard I work at this game. That’s what I’ll continue to do — get better every single day and sharpen my craft.”"

At this stage, that’s all Trier can do.

He’s still a dynamic scorer, as the statistics so clearly display. He’s competent from three-point range, gets to the free throw line at a clip of 5.3 attempts per 36 minutes, and has the right mentality for a young player in the NBA.

From this writer’s perspective, the Knicks should at least extend a qualifying offer and test the market before letting Trier go.

For a New York Knicks team that has more questions than answers in the scoring department, Allonzo Trier may be more valuable than he’s been deemed.