Kemba Walker Out of Knicks' Rotation; Alec Burks to Start at PG

New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau said he plans to remove guard Kemba Walker from the rotation for the time being.

Alec Burks will serve as the team's starting point guard.

"It would be tough to play three small guards together," Thibodeau told reporters Monday.

Walker signed a two-year, $17.9 million contract with the Knicks during the offseason after being bought out by the Oklahoma City Thunder. The move was seen as a homecoming for the Bronx-born guard, but Walker has struggled to find his place. 

Walker is averaging 11.7 points and 3.1 assists in 18 starts but has played no more than 23 minutes over the last six games. Thibodeau has expressed frustration with his starting unit's lack of cohesion at several points in the team's 11-9 start. 

Walker averaged 8.8 points and 3.2 assists while shooting only 37.5 percent over his previous five games. The Knicks have been outscored by 122 points in Walker's 441 minutes this season. Each of their three other primary guards has a positive plus-minus.

Burks started in Walker's stead in Saturday's win over the Atlanta Hawks, putting up 23 points and seven rebounds. Burks and Derrick Rose figure to split a majority of the point guard minutes, with Immanuel Quickley also seeing an uptick in responsibility.

It's unclear what comes next for Walker, who is barely two years removed from signing a four-year, $141 million contract with the Boston Celtics. At the time, he was seen as an All-Star replacement for the departing Kyrie Irving—arguably an upgrade in the eyes of some.

However, chronic knee injuries have left Walker a shell of himself at age 31 with no real avenue for turning things around.