Unraveling the New York Knicks point guard mystery

New York Knicks: The Internal Suspects

The call is coming from inside the house.

The husband is always the number one suspect.

These are day one detective-isms. They apply to the Knicks point guard situation as well.

When a strong detective has narrowed down their list of realistic suspects, it becomes time to establish motive, means, and opportunity.

Kemba Walker

Motive: Returning home to play for his hometown team; proving he is worth one more decent payday before retirement

Means: Still has some offensive firepower left as the Washington Wizards could easily describe for you

Opportunity: Was the starter, then got benched, then health & safety protocols forced Thibodeau to play him again. He is making the most of that opportunity.

Derrick Rose

Motive: Father time is gaining on him. This could be his last chance to contribute to a playoff run.

Means: Thibs right-hand guy. He just “gets it.”

Opportunity: Has had ample opportunity since being traded to the Knicks in January to prove he was the guy. He’s delivered on many of those occasions. His recent knee injury and 6-8 week recovery time really hurts his opportunity, though.

Alec Burks

Motive: Honestly, not sure. He should be on the court, but there’s no real sense that he desperately wants to be the point guard.

Means: Rarely makes the wrong decision and is serviceable as a point-of-attack defender.

Opportunity: He’s been the starter during Kemba’s banishment. He played fine, but it didn’t really translate to wins.

Immanuel Quickley

Motive: People have constantly questioned if he can even play point guard in the NBA. He’d love the chance to prove those people wrong.

Means: Quickley can do a bit of everything on offense. He can pull up and shoot. He can hit the floater. He’s shown flashes of great playmaking ability, especially with Obi Toppin and Mitchell Robinson.

Opportunity: He’s still waiting for the shot to truly run the show. The majority of his minutes come with another player (a point guard like Walker or Rose or even Julius Randle) dominating the ball. He’s only played 311 of his 1217 possessions this season as the point guard, according to Cleaning the Glass.

Deuce McBride

Motive: Young upstart looking to prove himself. It’s a tale as old as time.

Means: Firery, engaged, and disruptive on defense. He’s shown some skills on offense as well.

Opportunity: Not much here, but he crushed the chances he has gotten.