The Definitive New York Knicks Roster Breakdown: The Backcourt
By Adam Kester
New York Knicks Backcourt: Alec Burks
Alec Burks re-signed with New York on a 3-year, 30 million dollar deal. Despite playing a significant role last season, many saw Burks as the odd man out when it came to free agency because he didn’t quite fit the “Thibs-player” mold as prominently as Derrick Rose or Reggie Bullock.
What We Know
Burks is probably the most underappreciated player on the team. It’s nothing personal, it’s just a result of not being drafted by the team, not being a starter, and having a laid-back personality.
Burks is a scorer, plain and simple. He’s evolved over his NBA career into a silky-smooth ball-handler and shooter. He has underrated handles and was the team’s 2nd best backcourt player last season in terms of being able to break defenders down and create his own shot.
Having someone like Burks on your bench can be a godsend over the course of a full NBA season.
What To Expect
A lot of the same.
Alec Burks will typically slot in at either the 2-guard or the small forward spot for the New York Knicks.
I’ll continue to emphasize that even though we like to have a set idea for a rotation and allocation of minutes at the start of the season, it’s going to change game-by-game.
Not simply because of injuries, but we’ve seen coaches ride the hot hand. Alec Burks was the hot hand in plenty of games last season. We’ve seen him catch on fire for weeks at a time.
People forget that Alec Burks going inferno was the only reason that the New York Knicks were even close in Game 1 of their series against the Atlanta Hawks.
To me, Alec Burks is cemented as a crucial part of the 2nd unit who will see plenty of 4th quarter minutes during the course of the season when he’s on a hot streak. When he’s lighting it up, Thibodeau won’t take him out of the game for Fournier or Barrett just because they started the game.
Burks did make some spot appearances at point guard when the team had injuries last season, but I believe the “emergency” point guard role is going to be handed to another Knick this season…