This week, the New York Knicks made somewhat of an under the radar move that to most seems like a shot in the dark attempt at fixing the Knicks issues in the backcourt. The New York Knicks decided to waive 30 year old veteran point guard Ramon Sessions in order to make roster space in order to sign the 25 year old Trey Burke. The Knicks have really been struggling at the point guard position especially on the offensive end of the court. With raw rookie guard Frank Ntilikina providing exciting athleticism and defensive prowess, the future looks bright for the 19 year old out of France. Ntilikinia splits minutes with the seasoned veteran Jarrett Jack who has a good feel for the game but shows that his production is on the decline as he approaches his 35th birthday. Although I feel having Jarrett Jack on the team is actually very beneficial to this extremely young Knicks roster, his skills are not really about what he brings to the court but rather the locker room presence that he brings to one of the NBA’s youngest rosters. Although he adds an important value to this team and he just earned a guaranteed contract, I cannot see us holding onto him in the future.
Trey Burke was selected in the 2013 NBA Draft at pick nine and was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Burke rightfully earned this title of being a lottery pick as his time in college came with numerous accolades as he showed outstanding skill and NBA potential. In his second and final year of college, he outperformed all players to win the John R. Wooden award that goes to the most outstanding college basketball player as well as winning the three other major player of the year awards giving him a full sweep. Burke’s abilities were demonstrated in his rookie season with the Utah Jazz (he was traded by the Timberwolves after he was selected by them for the 14th and 21st selections) when he finished the season placing third in the rookie of the year voting and finding himself a spot on the All-Rookie First Team. These were nice accolades to add to his collection from high school and college but in the coming years his production took a hit. Burke continued to take minutes for the Utah Jazz primarily off of the bench and mostly as a pure scorer with much less of his skill set translating to elevated playing level in the NBA. Filling in for injuries and scoring off of the bench, Burke continued to put up average numbers as a role player and did not jump off of the highlight tape like he did in college. In 2016 Burke was traded for to the Washington Wizards for a second round draft pick in 2021. Following his sole season with the Wizards, Burke tested the waters in free agency where he agreed to a contract with the Oklahoma City Thunder but did not follow through with the deal and soon after signed with the Knicks but three days later was waived and he decided to spend a couple of months in the NBA G-Leauge. During his three moth stint in the G-Leauge, Burke was averaging over 25 points a game with an average of 5 assists, 3 rebounds and 2 steal per game and earning player of the month honors for the month of December.
Burke wanted to play in the G-Leauge in order to reinvent himself and improve his game as teams were struggling to see his value. The Knicks took notice to his improvements from even just his small stint in the G-League and I believe he will be able to add an offensive spark at the point guard position which has been in dire need of some offensive production. With this addition, Burke joins his former University of Michigan teammate and fellow offensive minded guard, Tim Hardaway Jr. who has been suffering from lingering injuries that have kept him out of games throughout the season. Burke will need to find his fit on the team very quickly because he will be earning his minutes very quickly as his talents will be utilized to their fullest potential.
