One of the bigger trades made ahead of the 2024 NBA Trade Deadline was the New York Knicks acquiring Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic from the Detroit Pistons. Both are starting-caliber players in the league and would be joining a Knicks team that was looking to cement their place amongst the elite teams in the NBA.
Alas, injuries have kept that from coming to fruition to this point. The losing ways of the Pistons have followed Burks and Bogdanovic to the Big Apple, as New York has gone 3-7 with them on the roster.
Both have been thrust into sizable roles given how many key contributors are sidelined. Burks is handling a lot of the on-ball responsibilities when he checks into the game and Bogdanovic has been relied upon as a go-to scoring option.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Alec Burks & New York Knicks Updates
Those roles will change once the Knicks are healthy, which they hope occurs sooner rather than later. Getting comfortable with a new team in the middle of the season is tough, but there was some hope Burks would adjust quickly given he spent two seasons previously playing under Tom Thibodeau in New York.
Unfortunately, that has not been the case. More often than not, whenever Burks checks into the game, the team’s performance plummets. Burks has finished with a positive plus/minus ratio in only three games to this point, as his performance on the court has been underwhelming.
As shared by Tommy Beer on X, 169 players have averaged at least nine shots per game in the NBA since the trade deadline. Burks is one of those players and his true shooting percentage of 42% ranks dead last.
That certainly isn’t the kind of spark the Knicks were expecting from the veteran Burks when they acquired him. In his 10 games, Burks has averaged 8.7 points, 1.8 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 16.6 minutes per game.
NBA NEWS & RUMORS: Alec Burks & New York Knicks Updates
His efficiency is poor, as he is making only 32.3 percent of his shot attempts, 29.8 percent of his 3-pointers and 64.7 percent of his free throws. Not to mention, he has as many turnovers as assists.
According to KnicksMuse on X, that is the worst 10-game stretch for a player joining a new team in NBA history. No one before Burks has had 75+ shot attempts with his low of shooting percentages and assist numbers in the first 10 games with a new team.
To say Burks has been disappointing would be an understatement. He was expected to help settle things down in the backcourt given how many injuries the Knicks were working through. Alas, he has become a liability.
Miles McBride should have the backup point guard position locked down given his recent performance. Burks’ spot in the rotation could be in peril once everyone gets healthy, especially with the addition of Shake Milton in the buyout market.
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