Knicks head coach Mike Brown has replaced Landry Shamet with Jose Alvarado in the playoff rotation against the Hawks. Alvarado's strong performance in Game 4 solidified his spot, while Shamet's minutes have significantly decreased.
Knicks head coach Mike Brown admitted Jose Alvarado has taken Landry Shametās spot in the playoff rotation through four games against the Atlanta Hawks. Brown said his rotations could change any day.
āWe won Game 1 with Landry as the backup point. I made a shift in Game 2 and put Deuce as the backup point, and it threw our guys off a little bit when they came out on the floor,ā he said after practice at the teamās Tarrytown training facility on Monday. āAnd so we needed a true point on the floor to settle us once we got a little bit discombobulated. And when we threw Jose out there, he played well. And so I gave him another opportunity and then another, and he played well. And so thatās kind of where we are.ā
Shamet played 18 minutes in Game 1 and 10 minutes in Game 2 before logging seven minutes combined through Games 3 and 4. Alvarado provided a massive spark in Game 4 as a plus-8 in 14 minutes off the bench after picking up a DNP in Game 3.
āIāve said this before: Everybody has to be ready to play because anybodyās number can be called at any time,ā said Brown. āAnd similar to Jordan Clarkson, during the course of the year, Jose wasnāt playing at the end of the year. He didnāt play the first game of the playoffs, but he stayed present. And when his number was called, he performed.ā
PRAYERS FOR DONTE
Former Knicks guard Donte DiVincenzo underwent surgery to repair a torn Achilles sustained in Game 4 of the Minnesota Timberwolvesā first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets. DiVincenzo is close with all of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Mikal Bridges, who played together at Villanova before entering the NBA Draft.
Mike Brown opted for Jose Alvarado due to his strong performance in Game 4, which provided a much-needed spark for the team.
Landry Shamet played 18 minutes in Game 1, 10 minutes in Game 2, and only seven minutes combined in Games 3 and 4.
Mike Brown emphasized that all players must be ready to play, as any player's number can be called at any time during the playoffs.
Jose Alvarado had a significant impact in Game 4, finishing as a plus-8 in 14 minutes off the bench after previously not playing in Game 3.
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āI talked to him last night. He seemed in good spirits. Heās formulating a plan and wish him nothing but the best,ā Brunson said on Monday. āIt sucks to see it. Honestly, after the game, that was like the first thing I heard, and looked it up and saw it. And so, thatās my brother. Tough to see, but heāll be back stronger.ā
DiVincenzo averaged 12.2 points and shot 38% from 3-point range for the Wolves this season.
LIKE FATHER LIKE SON?
Brown was LeBron Jamesā third-ever NBA coach after Paul Silas and Brendan Malone. The Knicksā coach cannot believe his former star player is now sharing the basketball court with his son in a Los Angeles Lakers uniform ā in the playoffs.
āItās surreal seeing him play with his son. That is the craziest, craziest, craziest thing anybody can dream of,ā Brown said after practice on Monday. āWhat a special moment, not just between those 2 guys, but for his entire family. That itself should be a freaking movie.
He isnāt shocked, however, by LeBron still being an impactful player at this point in his career. James, 41, is averaging 21.5 points, 8.8 assists and 8.3 rebounds through four first-round games against the Houston Rockets. The Lakers, without Luka Doncic, hold a 3-1 series lead.
ā[LeBron playing into his 40s] doesnāt surprise me,ā said Brown. āAt 41, nothing that man does will ever surprise me.ā
NO REGRETS
The Knicks could easily be up 3-1 in their first-round series against the Hawks: Each of their wins have come by double-digit margins while both of their losses were decided by one point.
Miles McBride said the Knicks donāt have any regrets not closing this series any sooner.
āNo, this is the playoffs. Nobodyās just gonna hand you a win, hand you a game. Obviously, our two losses were very close games. But you donāt lose the games always at the end of games. Itās a possession here in the first half, or you missed a box out or somebody did a run to the lane and there wasnāt anybody to kick it out to,ā he said. āIt was the little things like that that weāre more focused on and have to be focused on going forward.ā