ORLANDO, Fla. — Knicks point guard Trey Burke believes he’s found himself.
Burke was on a serious roll on the court in the Big Easy, and then off the court late Friday. He lit up the locker room with a fiery plea that the club must stop being satisfied with taking playoff teams deep into the fourth quarter and instead starting winning those games.
He also reflected on his own season, which took a positive bend by the Mississippi River.
After not playing in three of the prior four games, Burke erupted for 24 points in the 129-124 loss to the Pelicans. Burke said he’s figured out what was missing from his game that carried him to new heights last season.
“When my number’s called, I can’t be something I’m not,’’ Burke said. “I have to be the guard that I am. Coach [David Fizdale] told me to attack. That’s what I’m going to do. I can’t try to please being someone I’m not. That’s what I did earlier in the season. For this team to win, I have to be the Trey Burke everyone knows I can be.”
Indeed, if the Knicks are to win, Burke, who began the season as starting point guard and ended last season in that role, needs to play. Fizdale, however, is caught in an uneasy spot in trying to develop two younger lottery-pick point guards in Frank Ntilikina, 20, and Emmanuel Mudiay, 22. Burke, a lottery pick in 2013, is an old man by comparison, at 26.
Until Friday, Burke hadn’t shown the dash he often displayed last season after he signed in January after lighting up the G-League.
“[I was] being conservative, letting the game come to me,’’ Burke said. “Not attacking immediately. Naturally I’m a scoring point guard. When I attack it’s not always for me to score, it creates for others to. I wasn’t doing that.
“Earlier in the season, I was settling too much for jump shots. Having time to reflect how I was effective last season and different spurts throughout my career, I was always in attack mode and having fun and getting in the paint.
“We didn’t win but it’s a game I can build on,’’ Burke said.
With veteran Lance Thomas rehabbing from knee surgery 10 days ago, Burke stepped up as a leader in calling out his teammates for being too comfortable accepting close defeats amid a long diatribe. Burke revealed ex-Knicks legend John Starks having said similar stuff to the club last week at the practice facility.“It’s a whole level of focus we have to have,’’ Burke said of the five-minute mark of games. “Take the me out of it and it’s we. It’s like Navy SEALs. There’s lives on the line. I know it’s not life and death, but in this league it kind of is. You want to win games. We got to learn to value it. We value just being in the games with these playoff teams. ‘We’re in the game.’ It’s not what it’s about.’’
Fizdale is set to continue with the three-rookie starting lineup in Orlando. Mudiay-Tim Hardaway Jr.-Allonzo Trier make up a three-guard alignment with Kevin Knox-Mitchell Robinson up front. The unit got the Knicks off to a 22-12 start after seven minutes.
“After tonight I can’t switch this one up,’’ Fizdale said. “ I have to see if they can keep some consistency.’’