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New York Knicks: Where does Kevin Knox fit?

By Adam Kester

Jan 14, 2020; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; New York Knicks forward Kevin Knox II (20) warms up before game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 14, 2020; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; New York Knicks forward Kevin Knox II (20) warms up before game against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports /
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Feb 27, 2020; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Knicks forward Kevin Knox II (20) drives for a shot attempt against Philadelphia 76ers center Kyle O’Quinn (9) during the second quarter at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Kevin Knox’s career so far

Everyone knows it, Kevin Knox was bad in 2019-20. Whether it’s per-game stats, efficiency stats, or advanced metrics, the numbers were not good.

In the year prior, Knox’s rookie year, he may not have been efficient, but he put up a respectable 12.8 points per game. Knox’s rookie year also saw him take home the Eastern Conference NBA Rookie of the Month Award, he had eleven games with 20 or more points, and a selection to the NBA’s Rising Stars game during All-Star weekend.

Team USA’s roster for the Rising Stars game was: Jayson Tatum, Donovan Mitchell, De’Aaron Fox, Kyle Kuzma, John Collins, Trae Young, Jarrett Allen, Jaren Jackson Jr., Marvin Bagley, and… the Knicks’ very own Kevin Knox.

The outlook for Knox after his rookie season was that he’s still raw, but he was clearly going to be a key piece of the Knicks future. He flashed tons of scoring ability, but had no supporting talent around him.

Fast forward to the 2019-20 season, and it all went downhill. Knox found himself being the odd man out in a revamped group of Knicks’ forwards.

It’s easy to take one look at Knox’s 2019-20 stats and immediately dismiss him as someone who doesn’t belong in the NBA. We need to apply context to those stats.

Something that often gets lost is that Knox actually had a solid start to the year. Over the first 11 games of the 2019-20 season, Knox was shooting 44% from the field on 7.8 shots per game and 44% from three on 4.1 shots per game. He averaged over 23 minutes per game during that stretch.

Then, after a blowout loss to the Bulls, Knox didn’t play over 20 minutes in a game for the next two weeks. Over the rest of the season, his playing time was sporadic and his shooting efficiency plummeted.

The narrative around Knox went from a raw but talented scoring prospect to a player who doesn’t belong in the league. Many of the criticisms Knox received in his rookie season (Lack of defense, playmaking) remained the same in year two.

Now, after a tumultuous sophomore season, Kevin Knox may be the least talked about player on the Knicks roster. A player who the team invested the 8th overall pick in just two years ago.

What is going to happen to Kevin Knox in year three?

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