SALT LAKE CITY — Leon Rose tried to address the bench in the summer. It didn’t work. He got a redo at the trade deadline with Jose Alvarado and Jeremy Sochan.
Yet … the search for answers continues.
The latest development is a four-game slump and depletion of minutes for Alvarado, the newly acquired point guard who didn’t score a point in back-to-back losses to the Clippers and Lakers.
Mike Brown, as a result, dusted off Tyler Kolek on Monday against the Clippers, hoping for an offensive spark before the coach quickly turned back to ol’ reliable Jalen Brunson.
It was inconsequential toward the result — Kolek couldn’t make an impact with such a limited opportunity, less than two minutes — but underscored concerns about Alvarado, who hasn’t made a 3-pointer in the past five games (0-for-10).
In Sunday’s loss to the Lakers — with the offense in shambles — Brown only played Alvarado one minute in the second half, riding instead with Jordan Clarkson and a heavier dose of Brunson.
“I thought Jose was struggling a little bit. So I threw Tyler out there to see if we could get something from him, similar to me throwing Jordan Clarkson out there,” Brown said.
Of course, it wasn’t supposed to look this way. Alvarado was acquired at the trade deadline to absorb the backup point guard spot with defense, quickness and ballhandling — the areas lacking from Kolek. Alvarado started exquisitely the first 10 games, but lately Brunson’s burden has increased, not decreased.
The All-Star averaged 37.8 minutes the past five games, the most in the NBA during that stretch. Perhaps not coincidentally, Brunson’s shot was off — he connected on just 40 percent of his attempts the past five games, while hitting just 33 percent on treys — which tends to happen on tired legs.
Kolek, meanwhile, had been cast aside after the acquisition of Alvarado but had built a decent highlight reel from early this season, specifically in December with a strong NBA Cup and Christmas game.
“Any time you have games like that you can kind of look at that as a positive and just build on those things. You don’t want those things to be the be-all, end-all,” Kolek told The Post on Monday. “My career is about growth and getting better. So I need to learn from those experiences and learn from every one — good or bad. Those were good experiences. But me, personally, I’ve had some bad experiences on the floor. From my play. So learn from both of those things and just continue to grow, continue to get better.”
So what did he learn? Basically, listen to the coaches.
“Sometimes you’re out there you get in the flow of the game, and as a backup point guard or another guard on the team, when Jalen comes out you have to be really direct and accurate with how you’re playing and how coaches want you to play out there on the floor,” Kolek said. “So just following our game plan.”
The larger context to the bench fluctuation includes the injury to Miles McBride, who would be the first guard off the bench but is out after undergoing a hernia surgery. McBride is traveling with the team and said he doesn’t know when he’ll return to the court, whether it’s in the playoffs or before.
There’s also the underwhelming play of Mikal Bridges, who could theoretically soak up some of the playmaking duties but has mostly been a transition bandit this season with decreasing efficiency on his jumpers.
And lastly, the Knicks get a reprieve in the schedule upcoming — with six of the next seven contests against bottom feeders, including five games against egregious tankers — and nothing cures confidence problems better than blowout victories.
But that doesn’t wipe away one of the issues facing the Knicks:
In their search for a consistent rotation for the bench, they’ve only found more questions and lately a heavier reliance on Brunson.