Trey Burke playing well for the Knicks

On Saturday the New York Knicks fell to the Boston Celtics in a 121-112 loss. As the Knicks trailed Boston for the better part of the game, Kristaps Porzingis was truly missed. While Tim Hardaway Jr., Enes Kanter, and Michael Beasley tried to step up for the team, the true silver lining for the Knicks was Trey Burke.

Bringing the Heat

Burke scored 26 points on Saturday while shooting 52% from the field. He also added eight assists to try to lift his team over the Celtics. While his contributions proved to be insufficient to beat Boston, his great play should not go unnoticed. Burke’s transition to the team wasn’t the smoothest, with his signing to the team getting substituted with him playing for the Westchester Knicks. Yet, he was resilient, averaging 26 points per game and was eventually called up to the big leagues back in January. Since then Burke has been trying to adjust to his new team, but has also had his bright moments. Prior to losing to the Celtics the Knicks beat the Orlando Magic behind another 26-point showcase by Burke. Whether or not he can carry this throughout the rest of the season doesn’t necessarily matter given the Knicks’ current standing. However, the question is whether or not he can still fit in with the team next season.

No new friends?

Kristaps Porzingis may be down, but he’s not out (for the long term anyway). He will return next season and it is the job of New York’s front office to make sure that he has the right kind of team around him. Fans have already seen him play with Frank Ntilikina, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Enes Kanter throughout the season. However, if Burke stays with the team it will be an interesting dynamic to see how he can play with Porzingis. The team still needs to figure itself out and it has a lot of work to do before that happens. Yet, the front office should have some kind of idea of how to successfully before next season. That begins with looking at Burke, Porzingis, and everyone else on the team and figuring how their next steps. There’s also the Emmanuel Mudiay factor. How many point guards will the Knicks keep?

On the Horizon

Trey Burke knows how to play. The former ninth overall pick is proving himself to be a worthwhile addition to the team. He is hungry for a chance to revitalize his career. Playing well for the Big Apple may just give him a chance to do that. However, it is a long road ahead.