Alec Burks and Bojan Bogdanovic, who spent lost seasons in Detroit, are now free and will play significant games with the Knicks.
Josh Hart put Bogdanovic on notice shortly after the Knicks completed the transaction to acquire both veterans at the February 8 trade deadline.
“(Burks) knows what to expect,” Hart told The Athletic. “Bojan — hoooo, that boy in for it.”
Bogdanovic, 34, will become the second-oldest player on the Knicks roster, following Taj Gibson, 38, who was signed to a second 10-day contract on Friday.
Burks is already acquainted with Tom Thibodeau, the demanding coach who approaches each game like Game 7 of a playoff series. However, Bogdanovic may be surprised.
If anything, Bogdanovic is a consummate professional whose primary emphasis is basketball. He doesn’t use social media and lives his life in private. Prior to joining Detroit, he was a frequent playoff performer with the Utah Jazz.
“It’s gonna open up the spacing a lot,” Hart said of Thursday’s deal, according the New York Post. “Whether it’s for Jalen [Brunson], OG [Anunoby] trying to go to the basket, or if they blitz him, you have myself, Isaiah [Hartenstein], or someone in that short pocket who can just assist.
“So it’ll help open the court up tremendously.”
Bogdanovic, a lifetime 39.5% 3-point shooter, is hitting 3.1 3s per game this season, a career high. He may take a more open look at Brunson and Julius Randle in New York.
Knicks Installed as Title Contenders Following Trade
Kendrick Perkins, a former NBA champion and current ESPN pundit, felt more optimistic about the Knicks’ chances this season after obtaining Burks and Bogdanovic in addition to the Anunoby trade.
“The only thing that the Knicks lacked was depth. And right now, they’re deeper than the Pacific Ocean, and everyone else in the Eastern Conference, including the Boston Celtics, should get life jackets,” Perkins confidently said on NBA Today on February 8, seconds after the Knicks completed the trade with the Detroit Pistons. “This New York Knicks team is a legit title contender this season.”
When healthy, the Knicks have one of the deepest teams in the league.
Their starting five has it all — elite perimeter (Anunoby) and rim (Mitchell Robinson) defenders, solid catch-and-shoot wings (Anunoby and Donte DiVincenzo) and the dynamic duo of their All-Stars Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle.
Burks and Bogjanovic will slide to the bench and spearhead a second unit filled with players who can start for other teams.
Jalen Brunson’s Injury Update
Brunson is still questionable for the Knicks’ February 10 home game against the Indiana Pacers. Nonetheless, he feels optimistic about his chances of returning.
On The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, the Knicks All-Star point guard gave an encouraging report on his ankle injury.
“Everything is fine,” Brunson told Fallon.
When asked if he’s ready to return soon, Brunson responded, “We’ll see.”
Brunson missed the Knicks’ 122-108 loss to his previous team, the Dallas Mavericks, on February 8 due to a sprained right ankle.
Brunson, 27, is averaging 27.2 points, 41.1% three-point shooting, and 6.5 assists this season, all career highs.
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