Knicks: Kevin Knox quietly having a strong start to the season

New York Knicks forward Kevin Knox has played well in the team’s first four games.

He’s only 21-years-old! New York Knicks fans love to mention how young the team’s 2018 lottery pick is, because as his first few seasons have passed along with the judgments on his fit in the NBA, the fact that he has only been old enough to drink for 142 days should remind everyone that there is still plenty of time for him to become a solid professional basketball player.

And if you watched the Knicks during the preseason and haven’t been completely distracted by Julius Randle’s amazing start to the new season, you might have noticed that Kevin Knox is quietly showing progress in his third year in the league.

The lanky forward is shooting 45.5% from the field, a marked improvement over his 35.9 percentage last season. He is also connecting on 40% of his threes, albeit on a lower volume of shots. But if there’s one thing to consider from the preseason, it is the rhythm of someone’s shot, especially with this year’s exhibition schedule being the first real sample we have seen of players since last March. Knox ended the preseason shooting lights out from beyond the arc, and he is carrying that momentum into the regular season.

The Knicks hired Knox’s former college assistant Kenny Payne to join Tom Thibodeau’s staff this offseason. Many saw the move as a positive for Knox’s development, and how could it not be? Adding a familiar voice who understands the young forward’s game is a plus.

Meanwhile, the head coach has been impressed with what he has seen from Knox so far:

"“[Knox] is another guy who’s really played well. Unfortunately he had some foul trouble [in Cleveland on Tuesday],” Thibodeau said according to the New York Post. “But on the defensive side of the ball he’s been terrific. He’s shooting the ball well for us, and it opens up the floor and creates space for other people to put it down on the floor.’’"

A year that will go down in history as one of the craziest most of us have ever lived will end with another twist on New Year’s Eve with the Knicks playing in front of a very limited number of fans against the Toronto Raptors in Tampa, Florida. Imagine writing that sentence one year ago. The unique circumstances will allow Knox to play in front of family in his hometown.

While the Tampa native is only averaging 6 points per game on the early season, he is showing signs of progress and could be on the verge of breaking out with a big game on the stat sheet.