Alec Burks has a sprained shooting shoulder and was ruled out of Monday’s 124-99 win over his former team.
The 32-year-old, who has been struggling with his shot since arriving via trade from the Pistons, participated in the morning shootaround with the intention of playing before sitting out, according to Tom Thibodeau.
Despite Burks missing his first game since joining the Knicks, Thibodeau resisted inserting Shake Milton into the rotation.
Instead, Miles McBride continued to log heavy minutes (43) at shooting guard and Milton only played in garbage time.
Precious Achiuwa and Bojan Bogdanovic were the only subs to play at least eight minutes.
Burks, a Thibodeau favorite, is shooting just 32 percent since joining the Knicks with as many turnovers as assists and the team’s worst net rating (minus-11.5) heading into the Pistons game.
With Burks out and Quentin Grimes also sitting for the Pistons, Bogdanovic and Evan Fournier were the only active players involved in the February trade.
Of the three big injured players for the Knicks, Mitchell Robinson, as expected, is the closest to a return, Thibodeau indicated.
The center, a full participant in a practice last week, “is moving quite well” and “just needs a little bit more time.”
When a reporter asked if that meant Robinson would return before Julius Randle and OG Anunoby, Thibodeau said coyly, “Assuming your assumption is correct, yes.”
Robinson missed his 50th straight game Monday after undergoing surgery to repair a stress fracture in his ankle.
On Anunoby, whose surgically repaired elbow suffered a setback after he returned to play, Thibodeau said, “He’s basically got to let it calm down. But he went through some stuff [at Monday morning’s shootaround].”
Miles McBride is living up to his first name.
The 23-year-old guard, who got the starting nod again Monday, traveled 56,286 feet in his previous three games while averaging a league-high 3.55 miles.
Nobody else in the NBA was close.
It’s partly about the minutes — McBride averaged 46.2 minutes in the three games before Monday — and having to chase around the opposition’s top perimeter threat on defense.
The Knicks honored Willis Reed with their HBCU Night on Monday.
Reed, who died a year ago this month, attended HBCU institution Grambling State University.
The Garden showed a vignette about The Captain during the game.