TL;DR
- The New York Knicks lack offensive playmaking beyond Jalen Brunson, especially with his ankle injury.
- Dan Favale suggests Jose Alvarado of the New Orleans Pelicans as a perfect addition for the Knicks.
- Alvarado’s tenacity and perimeter defense would significantly boost the Knicks' struggling on-ball defense.
- Alvarado’s player option and potential Pelicans trade could make him available for the Knicks.
The New York Knicks recently faced scrutiny for their lack of offensive playmaking beyond Jalen Brunson, who is currently sidelined with an ankle injury.
This problem has become more apparent with his absence, but it remains when he is on the court.
While Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart can step up when necessary, their backup guards, Miles McBride and Jordan Clarkson, are primarily focused on scoring.
To solve this problem, Dan Favale of Daily Knicks has targeted one player who would be the perfect addition to the Knicks roster.
“Mike Brown believes the New York Knicks’ struggles to guard the three-point line are due in part because they’re on-ball defense is lackluster. He might as well just come out and say he wants the front office to trade for Jose Alvarado of the New Orleans Pelicans,” Favale said Tuesday.
“Though he’s listed at just six-foot, he’s among the NBA’s hardest-to-escape defenders. He has ranked no lower than the 84th percentile in screen navigation for each of the past three years, according to BBall Index.”
Beyond providing the Knicks' rotation with an additional secondary creator, Jose Alvarado's tenacity and perimeter defense are highly valuable additions.
OG Anunoby, the team's best perimeter defender, is out with a hamstring injury.
A lineup featuring Hart, Anunoby, and Alvarado upon his return would present a significant scoring challenge for opposing squads.
Head Coach Mike Brown wouldn’t shy away from triple-guard lineups with McBride, Brunson, and Alvarado either, because they have the size to make up for it in the frontcourt with Mitchell Robinson and Karl-Anthony Towns.
Alvarado has a player-option that will be activated at the end of this year, so he can either accept the $4.5 million or rework something with the Knicks that will prove his value.
Alvarado is playing an average of 19.8 minutes per game for The New Orleans Pelicans, but he's been getting a lot of Jordan Poole's playing time while Poole is sidelined.
New Orleans may be open to trading him to allow Jeremiah Fears and Poole to run the backcourt.
More NBA: Perfect Knicks trade to stay competitive while Jalen Brunson recovers from injury