Kemba Walker attacks vs Hawks Christmas
A few notes on Kemba Walker and the decision to shut him down for the rest of the season:
BURKS STILL AT PG?
Derrick Rose and RJ Barrett are close to returning from injuries. So, Walker’s exit may not lead directly to a rotation change. When asked on Wednesday if Rose could start at point guard when he returns, Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said, “We’ll see. I think just looking, digging into the numbers and stuff, Alec (Burks) has been our best option so far.”
Fans who want to see the Knicks give their young players more minutes won’t like this answer, but the numbers support Thibodeau’s point.
The lineup of Burks, Evan Fournier, Barrett, Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson has outscored opponents by 27 points over 201 minutes, per NBA.com. So, Burks has been the Knicks’ best option at lead guard based on net rating. The club is also 8-8 in games when Burks starts at point guard, according to Basketball-Reference.com.
Based on what…