New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau made a shocking announcement on Monday afternoon, telling reporters that star guard Kemba Walker will no longer be part of the team's starting lineup as well as their rotation. That will begin on Tuesday when they face the Brooklyn Nets in a blockbuster Big Apple matchup.
Thibodeau explains decision to remove Walker from rotation
Thibodeau said that "it was a tough decision to make, but you always have to do what you think is best for the team." Thibodeau added that he has great respect for Walker and what he has accomplished in the NBA, but it simply would be tough to play three small guards together in their starting lineup.
Tom Thibodeau says, at the moment, PG Kemba Walker is not part of the NYK rotation. Says he views Walker as a starter & doesn’t see good fit for Walker off bench. “I have great respect for who Kemba is as a person… & all he's accomplished in this league." pic.twitter.com/O4X3CItepg
— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) November 29, 2021
Walker was the odd man out for Thibodeau, who decided to bench him permanently in favor of Alec Burks. Thibodeau liked what he saw from Burks when he started for the Knicks in Saturday's win over the Atlanta Hawks. Burks scored 23 points in 39 minutes of action against the Hawks, a game in which Walker did not play.
In that game, the Knicks thrived without Walker, cruising to a 99-90 win against one of their main Eastern Conference rivals. Thibodeau said that he wants to tighten the Knicks rotation moving forward and utilize the same players suited up in the win against Atlanta.
That is bad news for Walker, who is averaging career lows in points (11.1), assists (3.1), rebounds (2.6), field goal attempts per game (9.8), and minutes (24.5) for the Knicks this season. In November, he struggled mightily, averaging just 10 points on 39 percent shooting from the field, including a woeful 29 percent clip from deep in 12 games played.
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Walker failed to form a connection with other Knicks starters
The Knicks' starting lineup of Walker, Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, Evan Fournier, and RJ Barrett was one of the worst in the NBA this season. Thibodeau tried to make it work, using this lineup for 287 minutes this campaign, the most for a five-man crew in 2021. The Knicks have suffered because of it, with opponents outscoring this lineup by 15.6 points per 100 possessions in those minutes. They also have the NBA's worst defensive rating with a 118.9 mark.
Much of the blame has been placed on Walker, and deservedly so. When he is on the court, the Knicks are being outscored by 13 points per 100 possessions. When Walker is not on the floor, the Knicks are outscoring teams by 11 points per 100 possessions.
This was not the homecoming Walker envisioned when he signed a two-year, $20 million deal with the Knicks back in August. Walker sacrificed vast sums of money to return to New York, but that dream move has quickly become a nightmare for the four-time All-Star.
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