3 Burning questions the Knicks must answer before the regular season ends

The New York Knicks appear poised to make the playoffs for the third time in the past four seasons, although there's a lot of uncertainty surrounding the team despite a commendable overall record of 45-32.

The Knicks have gone 1-4 over their past five games and dropped back down to the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. They're also getting dangerously close to the Play-In Tournament, holding a two-game lead over the Miami Heat at No. 7 in the East.

New York will also be without All-Star power forward Julius Randle for the rest of the season due to shoulder surgery. OG Anunoby has also struggled to stay on the floor with elbow issues, although he returned on Friday against the Chicago Bulls after a nine-game absence.

With just five contests remaining in the regular season, head coach Tom Thibodeau will need to figure out his rotation without Randle before the playoffs begin. Several other questions need answering before the Knicks wrap up all 82 games. Here are three of the most important ones.

3 Questions the New York Knicks need to answer before the end of the regular season

3: Should Bojan Bogdanovic and Alec Burks get playoff minutes?

New York traded for Bogdanovic and Burks in a deal with the Detroit Pistons just before the Feb. 8 deadline, sending a package centered around Quentin Grimes and two second-round picks in return. The two shooters were expected to provide floor-spacing off the bench and take some of the offensive load off Jalen Brunson.

The move has not paid off, however. After shooting 46.8% from the field and 41.5% from three with the Pistons, Bogdanovic is shooting a mere 41.6% from the floor and 34.7% from behind the arc in New York. His poor defensive instincts have given Thibodeau little reason to play him when his shot isn't falling, as his average of 19.9 minutes per game with the Knicks would represent a career-low mark over a full season.

Burks has similarly struggled, shooting 30% from three in New York after canning 40.1% of his triples with the Pistons prior to the trade. His role in the rotation has decreased significantly, playing in five or fewer minutes in three of his past 10 appearances. This included the Knicks' loss to the Miami Heat on Tuesday, as Burks was on the court for just three minutes.

It's worth noting that Bogdanovic has shown small signs of improvement, shooting 51% from the field and 35% from three over the past five games. At 6'7", he also possesses the size to play multiple positions and can fit in several lineups on paper. While he still needs to be more consistent, there's a good chance that he'll get minutes in the playoffs barring an extended stretch of subpar play to close out the year.

As for Burks, he may be watching the postseason from the bench after a string of impressive performances from Miles McBride.