Wednesday night's win over the Chicago Bulls made it three straight games for the New York Knicks without point guard Jose Alvarado. The Brooklynite is still sidelined by a high ankle sprain, presumably sustained during the team's game against the Boston Celtics from the first Friday of the season, which leaves head coach Mike Brown without one of his most important contributors from the 2026 NBA Finals.
Alvarado was right by Brunson's side when the pair of guards proved to the San Antonio Spurs that height doesn't measure heart. He's also one of the bench players whose roles Brown deemed unsafe ahead of the previous Sunday's contest against the Orlando Magic. The coach put those words into effect when he sat Andre Drummond in favor of camp battle-winner James Wiseman that same night.
Knowing that they're a guard short (no pun intended), the team called Jaden Akins up from the Westchester Knicks — their affiliate in the G-League — to help replenish depth in the absence of Alvarado. The 23-year-old is one of New York's three two-way players, who the team has a chance to get a real look at until Alvarado returns from his injury.
Blowouts will happen in both directions as Knicks' season unfolds
The Knicks originally acquired Alvarado because they needed boosts in both the ball-handling and energy departments. In his absence, thus far, Brown has leaned on third-year point guard Tyler Kolek to help take defensive pressure off of Brunson.
The 25-year-old has impressed with his passing, having recorded 21 assists in just 43 minutes of action thus far. Brown, however, has made clear over the years that both Kolek's defense and offensive aggression need to improve for him to stay on the court. On Wednesday against the Bulls, Kolek gave the Knicks a real spark. Brown rewarded him with 18 minutes of playing time, during which the guard racked up nine points and nine assists without any turnovers.
New York trailed Chicago by as many as 19 points, but eventually worked some of their signature comeback magic to snatch their second win on the Bulls' home court. If they can keep this kind of momentum up after their 0-3 start to their first season as the NBA's reigning champions in 53 years, they may very well be on the winning end of some blowout victories in the near future.
Of course, the variance of the 82-game NBA season that all-but-guarantees blowouts in one direction also close-to-guarantees a few going the other way. Even after proving that they were the league's best team in June, it's hard to imagine them avoiding the eventual 10-12 game slump that leaves fans feverishly overloading trade machines.
Whichever way the winds are blowing, the Knicks will get a chance to sneak a look at Akins. He played the final 24.8 seconds of the third quarter against the Magic, with Brown subbing him in for James Wiseman. Akins defended both Tristan da Silva and Franz Wagner, deterring the latter from the rim, during a play that ended with Nikola Vucevic hooking one in over OG Anunoby, the Knicks' center to end the period.
Brown also went to the Michigan State product for the final 16.2 seconds of the first quarter, and 2.4 of the second, against the Detroit Pistons. He was eventually able to let Akins close out the game alongside the other young players on the roster.
So far, Brown is giving Akins time on the court in the form of defensive tests at the end of quarters. It's seemingly how he's getting out of betting on Kolek defensively while Alvarado is hurt. If he continues to pass these tests, fans should expect to see more of him during the Knicks' next blowout.
In the era of the second apron, teams need as many players on affordable contracts as possible. New York would be smart to find out what they have in their new two-way players, which should eventually include Dalton Knecht too.
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