The playoffs bring a lot of things: intensity, emotion, meaning. They also bring shorter rotation as some players are kicked to the curb who played meaningful roles during the regular season.
The New York Knicks were no different. In a hard-fought win over the Atlanta Hawks in Game 1, head coach Mike Brown limited the rotation to nine players. It's hard to say that it wasn't the right approach, as they won 113-102, but it did have some consequences. Some players used to being a part of the rotation were forced to ride the pine.
Who was cut from the rotation? Who did Mike Brown bump down the pecking order until they didn't get to play a minute? Three players got the boot, starting from the expected to something of a surprise as the lights got bright.
No. 1: Tyler Kolek
The New York Knicks deserve credit for finding another valuable player with a second-round pick, this time with point guard Tyler Kolek. He is an exceptional passer and underrated rebounder, shoots the ball consistently, and fights on defense. He is a rotation player long-term.
For now, however, he finds himself behind not only All-Star Jalen Brunson at point guard, but on a roster that also boasts Jordan Clarkson, Miles McBride and Jose Alvarado. He was always going to get pushed to the curb this time around.
No. 2: Mohamad Diaware
The name that came out of nowhere for the Knicks this season was forward Mohamed Diawara. They drafted him 51st overall out of France last June and he blossomed into a rotation player on a team that desperately needed size off the bench.
Diawara is still raw, but where he excels is shooting from the corners; he essentially never misses. At this point, however, the rookie doesn't bring a lot else to the table. Diawara might get dusted off in a different matchup, but against the Hawks, he was riding the pine.
No. 3: Jose Alvarado
The surprise of the evening was Jose Alvarado finding himself outside of the playoff rotation. While those watching closely over the last few weeks would have noticed that Jordan Clarkson clearly reestablished himself above Alvarado in the pecking order, the fact that the Knicks went out and traded for Jose and he has played well overall since arriving would have seemingly found him a few minutes.
That was not the case, in large part because the Knicks have an unbalanced roster with six rotation-worthy small guards and only so many minutes that they can afford to play them all, especially when they only start one of them.
Mike Brown played four bench players on Saturday: center Mitchell Robinson, and guards McBride (6'2"), Jordan Clarkson (6'5") and Landry Shamet (6'5"). Finding space for the 6'0" Alvarado was not in the cards.
That might continue, or there may be a spot for Alvarado down the line. For now, he is on the outside of the rotation, feeling the bite of that kick on his way to the curb.
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