With the return of Kemba Walker, the minutes will be expensive at the Knicks | NBA

Kemba Walker’s season is decidedly strange. Squarely excluded from the rotation at the end of November, he had waited ten games at the end of the bench, before being relaunched in the five major thanks to quarantine. He had also played so much that his knees had started to creak again, forcing him to take a step back…

Nine games later, he was right back in Tom Thibodeau’s five majors (19 points at 6/13 shooting and 4 assists) in the loss to Wolves.

What generate a slight traffic jam on the “backcourt”, while Derrick Rose is however announced absent until the end of February. Because with the return of Kemba Walker to the rotation, it will not be easy for the coach to also give minutes to Alec Burks, Immanuel Quickley, Quentin Grimes or Miles McBride when Cam Reddish has been added at the back , where Evan Fournier or even RJ Barrett can also evolve.

“We actually have a good depth in the squad so we will work from there”, tempers Tom Thibodeau. “Grimes played well but you have to take it step by step. You have to earn your minutes. That’s what we do in training. You have to wait for your chance and take advantage of it when it comes. “

A lack of hierarchy and many applicants

True to his philosophy, the New York coach makes no promises, certain that things will sort themselves out more or less depending on what works and what doesn’t.

“But as I told you before, there are only a limited number of minutes to distribute. There are 240 per game. So the guys who are performing and doing the job, they will be on the field. The ones that give us the best chance of winning are the ones we will throw because the development of one player is not more important than the development of another player. Our only goal is what is best for the team.

Still, that’s a lot, a lot of people on the “backcourt”, and the young people (Miles McBride, Quentin Grimes, etc.) therefore risk being condemned to the bare minimum, while Tom Thibodeau assures that he has not necessarily hierarchy defined at the level of its veterans.

“The good thing is that Alec (Burks) is also a starter for me. Same for Derrick (Rose). Maybe they are not in the five but I see them that way. Let them go out there and give us what they have. We need everyone. That’s what’s great about a guy like Alec, who can start or be a substitute. He can play point guard or on the wings. His versatility is a huge plus for our team. “