In what seems like a blink, Jose Alvarado went from one of the heroes of the Knicks’ championship run to falling completely out of head coach Mike Brown’s rotation.
The veteran point guard, who signed a three-year, $14.4 million deal to stay with his hometown team after being acquired at last year’s trade deadline from the Pelicans, has played a measley 15:36 over his last three games.
He has not scored a point since the Knicks’ second game of the season on Oct. 23. He was then sidelined with a sprained right ankle that held him out for four games. Upon his return, he has taken a backseat to Tyler Kolek, including a DNP in Friday’s win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Ask Brown what the issue is, and he’ll say it’s nothing.
“It’s not anything negative right now on Jose… just has to be ready when his number is called,” the head coach said.
What it really boils down to is the stellar play that Kolek has provided off the bench. The third-year guard scored a season-high 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting in Tuesday night’s win over the Milwaukee Bucks — a rare showing of offensive strength to complement elite facilitating. Kolek has 40 assists compared to just four turnovers this season; a ratio that leads the NBA this season.
“We’ve strung some games. Those guys are close,” Brown said. “They both have to get us in our offense, they both have to run the team, they both gotta be great defensively… Do all the little things to help us win ballgames. That’s not just Tyler, that’s not just Jose. Those two have to do that, and we’ll go with who we go with until we feel that it’s time to go to the next guy. “
It all began, though, with Alvarado’s injury — a stroke of bad luck after everything appeared to be going the Brooklyn native’s way.
“The reality is Jose got hurt,” Brown continued. “Tyler gave us some good minutes, but at the end of the day, I sat them both down, and I told them: ‘Jose, you’re our backup because you ended the season as the backup but both you guys helped us win last year. Jose in the Finals, Tyler in the Cup Finals.
“So I feel like both you guys play and contribute at a high level. So both you guys got to be ready because a change can happen at any time.”
Still, the leash is short. Brown was quick to point out that if Koek takes a step back, Alvarado will be right back in the mix.
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