SACRAMENTO, Calif. — It was the shortest appearance of Alec Burks’ season, the shortest in more than five years for the guard.
Following two missed consecutive missed shots and a turnover early in the second quarter, the veteran guard was yanked after just 4:18 of Thursday’s win over the Trail Blazers.
He sat the entire second half — watching Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Miles McBride serve as the backcourt rotation.
Burks’ benching wasn’t about an injury, Tom Thibodeau confirmed.
“Just basketball,” the coach added, “basketball.”
The move wasn’t a surprise.
Though Burks was supposed to provide offensive spark for a playoff push and beyond, the 32-year-old has been woefully inefficient since being acquired from the Pistons last month.
He’s shooting 31 percent overall and 28 percent from beyond the arc, by far the lowest of his career if extrapolated for a season.
Moreover, he’s exhibiting the same black-hole tendencies with the ball that were apparent, albeit not as pronounced, during his previous stint in New York two seasons ago.
Through 14 games this season, Burks is averaging more turnovers than assists — a red flag for ballhandlers.
The isolation style and tunnel vision has become counterproductive at his efficiency.
But that hasn’t stopped Burks from trying to create for himself.
His usage rate is third on the Knicks, behind only Brunson and Julius Randle.
His dribbles per touch is also third on the Knicks, behind only Brunson and McBride.
Not surprisingly, Burks’ net rating, the stat Thibodeau has called the most helpful, is minus-18.8, the worst on the team.
As a whole, the bench unit is struggling with Burks in the rotation.
He and fellow newcomer Bojan Bogdanovic haven’t produced as advertised.
“When you make in-season trades, there’s an adjustment period that you have to go through, and that’s where we are,” Thibodeau said. “While all that’s going on, you’ve still got to find ways to win.”
With Burks, Thibodeau’s adjustments have been to slowly cut back minutes.
The first move was to give McBride the spot ahead of Burks in the rotation, which became apparent on the court by the end of February.
Burks was down to just five minutes in a game last week, then less than five in Portland.
DeAaron Fox has been one of the NBA’s best since the All-Star break, but Donte DiVincenzo didn’t want the Knicks to forget about the other Kings star before their matchup Saturday.
“You talk so much about Fox but [Domantas] Sabonis is doing what he’s doing. I think he leads the league in triple-doubles [with 23, above No. 2 Nikola Jokic],” said DiVincenzo, who played with Fox and Sabonis in Sacramento two seasons ago. “So as much as Fox is the focal point, it’s hard to tell who is the head of the snake. Just because they’re so balanced over there.”
The Kings (38-27), who play at MSG next month, are the last remaining NBA team the Knicks (39-27) haven’t faced this season.
They’re also operating on a rest advantage with two days off between home games, an ideal situation against a team with a similar record.
“You can’t look at the record as much,” DiVincenzo said. “When you look at it, there are some bad losses, but they’ve beaten some really good teams multiple times. I think we have to be ready because they’re one of the top teams in the league.”
The big head-to-head is Fox, who is averaging over 28 points since the All-Star break, against Brunson, who dropped 45 points in Thursday’s win over the Blazers.
