Alec Burks (SG/SF, NYK) - Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups

New York forward Alec Burks is a worthy consideration as a fantasy basketball waiver wire pickup heading into Week 13 of the NBA season.

BALLER MOVE: Add in 14-Team Leagues

ROSTERED IN: 23% of leagues

ANALYSIS: I, like many of you, never thought I'd see the day that the New York Knicks are a highly competent organization with the power to craft a winner from raw materials as opposed to living and dying by the free agents that never showed up to Madison Square Garden; but that's what happens when someone wises up and hires Leon Rose and William Wesley to do what only those two men can do. The Knicks emergent season has been the product of Julius Randle unleashing the beast within, R.J. Barrett taking grand steps forward, and young talents like Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin establishing a new vibe around the Knicks (perhaps, optimism?); however, it's not just the fresh faces that have New York in heated playoff contention. The roster is a meticulous mixture of rising youth and niche-game vets, and lately it has been 6'6 combo guard Alec Burks with the hot hand he's been quietly exhibiting all season.

Burks is in his first year with the Knicks, which makes his sixth NBA organization played for since he was drafted in 2011. He has averaged 25.6 minutes per game this season, and in that time puts up 12.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game on 39.6% three-point shooting (1.9 out of 4.8 a game), 84.7% free throw shooting, the second-best true shooting rate of his career (54.8%), and a career-best effective field goal rate (50.6%). He rebounds at an 8.7% clip, his steal rate is in line with his body of work at 1.7%, he has kept his turnover rate below 10% for the second-straight season, and is netting a career-high assist rate at 17.2%. Eight games through March, with his PT up to 27.3 MPG, Burks has put up 14.6 points, 4.3 boards, 2.6 assists, and 1.o steal per game, nailing 13 of 38 threes (34.2%) and 16 of his 18 free throws (88.9%). Now, sometimes the shots don't fall for one guy and they fall for the others, which can be the case on any given night for the Knicks with Quickley, Reggie Bullock, Austin Rivers, and Julius Randle all letting them fly with regularity. However, Alec Burks has had stretches of unconscious marksmanship in each month of the season, and while he always slows down, he always picks back up. Launching from deep with that type of confidence in conjunction with his sneakily well-rounded skill set, Alec Burks offers the kind of scoring that's hard to come by on deep-league waivers this late in the campaign, without many of the usual downsides.

More Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 15 (2024-25): February 3 - February 9

If you're like me, you woke up to one of the biggest trades in recent NBA history (Luka for AD) and are still trying to make sense of it. It will likely be the biggest trade of the week, but it won't be the only deal made this week as Thursday's NBA trade deadline looms. […]

Dan Palyo February 2, 2025

League Winners: Second-Half Trade Targets and Stashes - 2025 Fantasy Basketball

Things have not gone as planned for fantasy basketball managers who drafted players like Joel Embiid or Jimmy Butler. But there's plenty of basketball left to be played and it's time to reassess how we view players going forward. If you want to win that fantasy basketball league championship, worry less about where your players […]

Dan Palyo January 30, 2025

Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 14 (2024-25): January 27 - February 2

We flip the calendar to February this week and edge closer to both the All-Star break and the NBA trade deadline. Some of the moves you can make in the next few weeks could greatly impact your team's ability to compete for a fantasy championship in March or April! Most leagues have a weekly moves […]

Dan Palyo January 26, 2025

League Winners: Players To Stash For the Stretch Run - 2024 Fantasy Basketball

The All-Star Break is upon us and while it's nice to have some time off from setting lineups, making DFS lineups, and placing bets. It's also a nice time to look ahead and what moves you can make to put your team in the best position possible to win a fantasy basketball title. Remember, the […]

Dan Palyo February 19, 2024

Trendon Watford (PF, POR) - Fantasy Basketball Waiver Wire Pickups for Week 23

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 7% of leagues ANALYSIS: According to Shams Charania of The Athletic (reporting on Sunday morning), the Portland Trail Blazers are leaning toward shutting down Damian Lillard for the remainder of the season. The Blazers, mind you, have been without Jerami Grant, Anfernee Simons, Lillard, and Jusuf […]

Antonio Losada March 27, 2023