NY Knicks hoping Alec Burks can give them a boost

The NY Knicks will be soon be getting guard Alec Burks back in their lineup as he attempts to rejoin the team after missing 7 games due to COVID. Burks has been away from the team for most of the month of April.

The good news: He’s back with the team and back at practice. Zach Braziller of the New York Post said on Saturday that Burks is at practice but remains day-to-day. Unclear whether or not he will suit up for tonight’s game with the Rockets.

NY Knicks: Alec Burks brings much-needed scoring

The NY Knicks have been rolling with Alec Burks out of the lineup, although I don’t believe the two are directly tied together.

Alec Burks has been a key contributor for New York this season. While his scoring is streaky, he seems to have a knack for having the hot hand when no other Knick can buy a bucket. That’s important for this team that can struggle to generate offense.

Rose, Quickley, Burks – This team needs its bench scorers to be putting up points if they want to hang with the big teams.

One key for Alec Burks is to keep the ball moving. Time and time again it seems like New York’s offense is at its best when players are getting extra touches and the ball isn’t dying in an isolation play. There are plenty of players who have been guilty of ball-stopping and slow decision making and Burks has been one of them.

We’ve seen this NY Knicks team ramp up their offense this past month. They’ve been able to find more space to create more open 3-point looks. This team is the 6th best 3-point shooting team in the league and shoots the 4th fewest 3-point attempts per game. They’re going to be getting one of their best shooters back with Alec Burks.

The 2nd unit has operated with the scoring trio of Rose, Burks, and Quickley all being able to generate offense. It’s been a good contrast to New York’s starters.

There have been games earlier in the season where it was Burks who took over and hit the big shots. He’s shown a propensity for hitting clutch shots and his numbers have been some of the best of his career: Currently putting up 12.6 points per game on 41.4% from the field and 40.8% from 3.

It’s good to hear that Alec Burks will be coming back soon and is hopefully healthy and fully recovered from his bought with COVID, which isn’t to be taken lightly. The NY Knicks will need all the help they can get as they prepare for a big stretch of games before the playoffs.