Jose Alvarado, who has been sidelined for the last four games with an ankle sprain, is nearing a return to the New York Knicks lineup. He has been listed as questionable for Monday's game against the Brooklyn Nets at Madison Square Garden. Alvarado participated in practice on Sunday, according to coach Mike Brown.
In Alvarado's absence, Tyler Kolek has seen increased playing time at backup point guard. After not playing in the first two games of the season, Kolek logged 57 minutes over the past four games, recording 25 assists with only two turnovers. Brown indicated that Kolek would continue to play while Alvarado was out, and that the team would assess the rotation when Alvarado returns.
"Tyler is definitely going to keep playing while Jose is out," Brown said last week. "When he comes back, we’ll figure it out."
Brown also recently used a football analogy to explain the Knicks' struggles with shooting efficiency, particularly at the rim. He noted that if a team cannot make perimeter shots, opponents will pack the paint, making it more difficult to score close to the basket.
"If you think about it, if you’re shooting the way we’re shooting the ball at the perimeter, it’s like in football, if you’re not able to pass the ball, they’re gonna put eight guys in the box," Brown said. "It’s the same thing. If we’re not making shots, they’re going to do this [collapse in the paint] and it’s gonna be harder to finish in the paint."
He added, "And so eventually, at least the green [high-quality] 3s, we’re gonna have to continue generating green threes but we’re gonna have to make some green threes. But in the same breath, while we’re not doing that, we gotta be better in other areas to compensate for our ability to shoot the ball right now."