On June 21st, 2018, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced that with the 9th overall pick in the draft, the New York Knicks would be selecting 18-year-old forward Kevin Knox out of Kentucky. As Kevin Knox walked up on to the stage , there were lots of boos (a usual reaction from New York fans) and it was evident that they probably would’ve preferred forwards Michael Porter Jr. or Mikal Bridges.
In his one and only season at Kentucky, Knox averaged 15.6 points per game. He played alongside now Oklahoma City Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and together they were able to lead the Wildcats to a Sweet 16 appearance. Throughout his college career Knox was known as a player who can drive to the basket effectively and had a streaky reputation from behind the arc.
Knox shot 34% from 3-point-range and shot 51% from the field as a whole.
After the Knicks drafted Knox he was immediately inserted on to the summer league roster along with other Knicks rookies including second round pick Mitchell Robinson. Knox made the all summer league first team, tallying 21.3 PPG and 6.5 RPG. This astounding set of performances that summer propelled Knox to rookie of the year talks and people started to wonder if he could “save the Knicks.”
As many probably expected though, this was never going to happen. Knox did have an auspicious start to his career though. In December 2018, he was named rookie of the month with averages of 17.1 points and 6 rebounds per game, along with a NBA high amongst rookies, 33 3 pointers made that month. Along with that the Knicks were giving Knox 35 minutes per game! That’s reasonable in my book however, because the Knicks were not winning any matches and the best thing for them to do was play the youngsters as much as possible.
Let’s fast forward to this season. The Knicks have played 50 games and are 14-36. They are 4 wins away from exceeding last season’s total but still are well on their way to having an NBA draft lottery watch party. With the addition of neophyte RJ Barrett, someone not following the Knicks would probably expect that the Knicks are playing Barrett, Knox, and Robinson significant minutes every game in order to prepare them for future seasons correct? Yeah no. Barrett was in the rookie lead in minutes for a long time actually but due to a bad ankle sprain he’s been sidelined for the last week and a half; but here’s where the bad part comes. Kevin Knox now a days isn’t even playing 20 minutes per game. In the Knicks’ last contest on the road against the Indiana Pacers, the orange and blue somehow pulled out a win against a top team in the East behind a gritty performance by Marcus Morris Sr. What’s wrong with that? Knox only logged 13 minutes shooting 1-7 from the field.
It’s quite obvious that the Knicks are valuing playing their vets over playing the young guns in order to win more games. Personally, I’m all for winning games right now but the fact that the organization is not playing someone who just 6 months ago they accessed so much value too, is beyond me. Alongside that, I mentioned earlier that in college, Knox was known for his ability to drive to the basket, draw a foul, and get to the line on a consistent basis. Well now, an average 3.5 of Knox’s 6 shot attempts per game come from 3-point-range. He shoots 34% from there (just like at Kentucky), and his free throw percentage, which was above 77% in college, is now down to 65%.
While Kevin Knox still has the potential and ability to be a big part of the Knicks franchise, he might be better off being traded to another team who will utilize his strengths rather than trying to overly develop his weaknesses.