New York Knicks: Realistic goals for Kevin Knox in 2019-20

4. Find shooting efficiency from all parts of the court

Kevin Knox had a stellar month of December. His 17.1 points and 6.0 rebounds made him take home the NBA Rookie of the Month award, even while barely shooting over 40 percent. Otherwise, the Kentucky product’s rookie season was a struggle finding the basket consistently.

Knox took strides down the stretch by shooting 41.4 percent in March, but his final slash line was still .370/.343/.717. His effective field goal percentage was a meager 43.8. As a top-10 draft pick or not, those numbers will not cut it to become an NBA stalwart, let alone a frequent New York Knicks contributor.

Modern-day NBA players need to shoot the basketball well. If they cannot, someone else will replace them and stretch the court. Knox is capable of this, and 34.3 percent on three-pointers is not disparaging, but he needs efficiency at all parts of the court, including within short range; he made just 35.3 percent of shot attempts between three and 10 feet from the basket.

This can improve with superior shot selection and playing confidently. Knox was tentative at times to take shots and sometimes settled for a poor take. Summer league pushed this in the other direction, which was promising, but against inferior competition. If he used the offseason to hone his offensive skillset, 2019-20 will see an uptick in shooting percentages.