3 Knicks Whose Stocks Are Still Down Despite Quick 76ers Series

These Knicks players didn't have as strong of a series as they could have in the second round. | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Teams don't pull off sweeps in the playoffs by accident. This year's Knicks showed how true that is against the 76ers, as their four straight wins in the second round were a direct result of firing on all cylinders and having an answer for everything their rivals threw at them.

However, despite this impressive result, there are a few players who were very minor contributors in the grand scheme, or didn't take full advantage of the opportunity against a worn-out Sixers squad.

1. Jose Alvarado

Jose Alvarado entered the Philly matchup with a ton going in his favor. He brought a demonstrable spark to the Hawks series when the bench initially struggled, helping him shed the DNP label that he began with against Atlanta. The energizing guard not only got in his opponents' heads but also made a tangible impact with his steals, playmaking needed on the second unit, and three-point shot.

With the Sixers on tap, it seemed like Alvarado would have a potentially even bigger role in store. Star guard Tyrese Maxey was a major concern for this defense, with Jalen Brunson a poor matchup and the Knicks' wings possibly not having the speed to keep up. That put Alvarado near the top of Mike Brown's options.

Yet, the series overall didn't go as many expected. Maxey, playing on tired legs from the regular season and seven games against Boston, simply wasn't at his best. Mikal Bridges and Miles McBride also quieted any doubts early on about being able to hang with the two-time All-Star, which completely changed the direction of this showdown.

The Knicks need Jose Alvarado to find another gear. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

As a result, Alvarado simply wasn't needed for more than a few minutes here and there. In fact, Alvarado failed to log even nine minutes of action until the Game 4 shellacking, which quickly turned into garbage time.

That's a disappointing step back for the veteran, who had totals of almost 14 and 11.5 minutes against the Hawks. Those two games came with clear results as well, with Alvarado notching 18 combined points (with 4-of-6 shooting from deep), three rebounds, three assists and three steals while being +12 overall.

Alvarado's involvement being scaled back just speaks to the less steady footing he's on compared to other bench players like McBride and Mitchell Robinson. Landry Shamet has even regained his form after his struggles initially helped get Alvarado on the court, which thrusts the latter back into a more specialized role.

The pesky guard will still be an option and useful in the conference finals, but he's clearly not a big priority. New York's starters and featured role players will also have incredibly fresh legs due to the long break between Game 4 in Philly and Game 1 of the ECF, which further reduces the need for Alvarado to play, barring some unforeseen troubles.

2. Ariel Hukporti

Third-stringer Ariel Hukporti initially began the Sixers matchup as an unexpected part of the game plan. With both Karl-Anthony Towns and Robinson plagued by foul trouble in the series opener, Brown turned to Hukporti to fill some minutes.

Hukporti turned out to be surprisingly serviceable near the end of the first two quarters, relieving both Robinson and KAT, before padding his stats (nine rebounds, two blocks in Game 1) in garbage time to close things out.

That said, Hukporti didn't provide any extra discipline than his counterparts. He racked up four fouls in the opener in just under 17.5 minutes, including an almost immediate foul on Joel Embiid that directly led to two made free throws for Philadelphia's star.

Then, in the tightly contested Game 2, Hukporti had another four fouls, and those came in only seven minutes of play. Notably, this was a contest Robinson missed due to illness.

Can Ariel Hukporti force his way back into the Knicks' good graces? | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Even with the guy in front of him on the depth chart absent, Hukporti saw his time scaled back from Game 1. He was a minus-3 when he did get on the floor as well, and didn't find any blocks playing against the 76ers' real rotational players.

The second-year pro then logged just over three minutes in Game 3 before a mediocre (four points, five rebounds in 15 minutes) series finale performance that spanned much of garbage time.

Hukporti's stocks were initially flying as he seemed to have the coaching staff's trust from the jump in this series. However, he ultimately became a minutes-filler, prone to repeating the same mistakes that helped him get off the bench. This does little to set him up for more meaningful appearances the rest of this postseason.

3. Mohamed Diawara

Mohamed Diawara has had a challenging postseason. He went from being part of the rotation in the regular season to DNPs over the first three games versus Atlanta. The rookie then got to play in garbage time in Game 4, but he looked like a fish out of water, and Brown decided to play Jeremy Sochan over him the next time out.

In Game 1 of this series, Diawara finally got to build some positive momentum; he notched a playoff high five points and knocked down his first three of the postseason. Yet, he didn't even register a blip on the radar after that with a Game 2 DNP and zero points in Games 3 and 4. Even with nine minutes on Sunday, Diawara went 0-of-3, repeating the poor start he had in these playoffs.

Diawara had a chance to get a deeper look from the coaching staff, given his size, and the bench rotation shuffling chairs for the most part. But it seems like his fate is sealed as someone who won't touch the floor unless catastrophe strikes, which is just part of being a young player still finding their way in the league.