New York Knicks: What happened to the young core of the 1990s?

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14 May 1996: Hubert Davis of the New York Knicks goes up for two against center Luc Longley of the Chicago Bulls during a game played at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. The Bulls won the game, 94-81. Mandatory Credit: Doug Pensinger/Allsport /

Hubert Davis

The Knicks drafted Hubert Davis with the 20th overall pick in the 1992 NBA Draft. Davis represented a lethal perimeter threat to complement Patrick Ewing.

Davis didn’t play many minutes during his rookie campaign, but he showed significant promise as a three-point shooter during the 1993-94 season. Knee surgery in March sidelined John Starks for the remainder of the regular season. As a result, Davis became the full-time starter. Starks returned for the start of the 1994 NBA Playoffs and eventually took over as the starting shooting guard. By that time, Davis already received the trust of Pat Riley with his clutch free throws to defeat the Bulls in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Davis played the entirety of the 1994-95 season and showcased himself as a lethal three-point threat as he averaged 10 points per game off the bench on 48% shooting from the field and 46% from beyond the arc.

In a more controversial note, Davis also became coach Don Nelson’s preferred shooting guard. Nelson slowly benched Starks in favor of Davis during the 4th quarters of basketball games. In the month leading up to Nelson’s firing, Davis started over Starks, which infuriated the veterans on the team. After the Knicks fired Nelson, Davis eventually transitioned back into a bench role.

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