Two Knicks Guards Consistently Provide Value, Outproduce Contract

As shared by BBall Index on X, over the last five seasons, there are only 17 rotation players in the league who have generated value on the court that exceeds what their salary says they are worth.

Hart is No. 6 on the list with $48.9 excess value generated over the last five seasons. Only Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets, Derrick White of the Boston Celtics, Scottie Barnes of the Toronto Raptors and Ivica Zubac of the Indiana Pacers are ahead of him.

Since being acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers ahead of the NBA trade deadline in 2023, Hart has been an integral part of New York’s success and turnaround. They have made the postseason all three years he has been on the team and are well on their way to making it four out of four.

While his numbers on the stat sheet aren’t always going to jump off the page, he does a lot of the little things that help put a team over the edge. He is as tough as they come and fills whatever role the coaching staff needs him to fill.

This season, Hart has helped the Knicks elevate their offensive performance with the best shooting season of his career, knocking down 40.7% of his 3-point attempts thus far.

He’s stuffing the stat sheet with 12.2 points, 7.6 rebounds, 5.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 0.3 blocks in 30.6 minutes per game.

Jose Alvarado has made instant impact for Knicks

Alvarado hasn’t been with New York nearly as long. He has only three games in the blue and orange under his belt after being acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans ahead of this year’s deadline in exchange for Dalen Terry and two second-round picks.

However, he has wasted little time showcasing what kind of impact he can have on the court. Earning only $4.5 million in the first season of a two-year, $9 million contract, he is once again exceeding all expectations, salary-wise.

His $27.5 excess value generated is No. 11 on the list, right behind his former Pelicans teammate, Trey Murphy.

Being featured on that list despite averaging only 20.3 minutes per game in his career is an impressive feat. It means Alvarado is making the most of his opportunities, which has been the case with the Knicks.

In just his third game with the franchise, he made history, knocking down eight 3-pointers, recording five steals and handing out four assists in a blowout over the Philadelphia 76ers. He needed only 19 minutes to accumulate all of those stats, providing a spark with the second unit.