Jose Alvarado has already become one of the New York Knicks’ most important players without ever taking the floor for them. There’s no other way to frame it following the news that Deuce McBride may not return until just before or during the playoffs.
Sources told SNY’s Ian Begley that Deuce will miss at least the next six-to-eight weeks after undergoing surgery to address a core muscle injury. The end of that timetable puts him back around April 3, at which point New York will have five games remaining.
This presumes the 25-year-old suffers no setbacks. And even if he doesn’t, the Knicks could still play it safe. The timeline could end up being flat-out longer, too. We won’t truly know. New York isn’t exactly forthcoming with its health updates.
The exact length of Deuce’s absence ultimately doesn’t matter as much as it being a lengthy absence at all. The Knicks already needed someone like Alvarado before McBride’s surgery. With him now out, Alvarado’s arrival isn’t just a happy luxury, or finishing touch. It’s essential.
The Knicks need Jose Alvarado’s point-of-attack defense more than ever
Nobody on the Knicks is spending more time guarding primary ball-handlers than McBride, according to BBall Index. He also ranks third on the team in overall matchup difficulty at the defensive end, trailing only OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges.
Losing McBride shifts the primary point-of-attack burden onto Mikal Bridges, Landry Shamet, or depending on the lineup, even Tyler Kolek. Shouldering this responsibility has seldom been Bridges’ forte. And as impressive as Shamet is on both ends of the floor, he shouldn’t be your first line of defense against the LaMelo Balls, Tyrese Maxeys, and James Hardens of the East.
Alvarado is more equipped to ferry the primary-ball-hander workload. Listed at just 6’0”, he is a roving eclipse, someone who sucks up enough space to nudge players into uncomfortable dribbling lanes. What he lacks in size he offsets with standstill strength, and the lateral speed and body control necessary to keep pace alongside downhill drivers without fouling.
In a truly on-brand development, the 27-year-old rates in the 88th percentile or better of both perimeter isolation defense and ball-screen navigation, according to BBall Index. The list of other players doing the same while logging at least as many minutes and with as many reps against primary ball-handlers should make Knicks fans drool: Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Stephon Castle, De’Aaron Fox, Jordan Goodwin, and Ausar Thompson.
Don’t sleep on Alvarado’s offense, either
Even with Alvarado, New York is going to miss McBride’s blend of three-point efficiency and volume. Deuce is one of just seven players to make more than 100 triples while swishing them 42 percent clip or better. He joins Max Christie, Collin Gillespie, AJ Green, Kon Knueppel, Jamal Murray, and Cam Spencer.
Alvarado can’t replicate that. He’s averaged over 7.5 three-point attempts per 36 minutes the past three seasons, but doesn’t deliver the same efficiency.
Still, he has more to offer as a passer. He isn’t what you’d call a lethal tactician, but much to Mike Brown’s delight, he will spray on drives and in transition. He can also handle passing to multiple options out of the pick-and-roll and is an understatedly accurate lob-tosser.
The Knicks need a healthy McBride if they’re going to win the Eastern Conference, let alone a title. That’s not up for debate. But his absence is already being made easier by New York’s trade-deadline acquisition.
Just imagine how much less it’ll sting when Alvarado is actually playing.