NY Knicks‘ forward Kevin Knox has unquestionably been a huge disappointment for the New York Knicks. He was taken with the 9th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, mainly because the Knicks were enamored with his scoring potential at the next level. While other players who were taken after Knox, such as Michael Porter Jr and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, are blossoming for their teams, Knox isn’t even in the Knicks’ rotation three seasons into his career. His days in New York could be numbered.
On the year Knox is averaging 4.6 points per game on 39.2% shooting from the field in just 13 minutes of action. In his first couple of years, Knox struggled with efficiency and outside shooting, and he was a complete liability on the defensive end. In his third year Knox has improved but not enough to earn a consistent spot in the rotation. This season Knox has become a good 3-point shooter, currently knocking down 38.8% of his triples, and while he isn’t a great defender by any means, his defense has certainly improved. The problem with Knox is that his offensive game is extremely one dimensional.
NY Knicks: Can Kevin Knox continue to develop?
Yes, he’s a good 3-point shooter but outside of hitting the wide open 3 he can’t generate offense for his team. This is why Tom Thibodeau took Knox out the rotation after he started going through a shooting slump, he provides next to no value when he’s not hitting his open 3s at a high clip. It’s probably too late for Knox to make another jump this season, but in his 4th year, Knox needs to diversify his offensive game.
Since he’s a good 3-point shooter, he should learn to use the threat of his shot to upfake defenders and get all the way to the rim or pull up from midrange. Knox needs to develop a stronger handle, and some go to moves like the crossover to regularly beat defenders off the dribble. Knox should also learn to attack out of the triple threat and use moves like the jab step and the step back to create space for his own shot. He also needs to be aggressive, and look to create his own shot when he gets the ball on offense. The lack of aggression has been in Knox’s scouting report since coming into the league.
At this point, it’s safe to say that Knox will never be the all star he was drafted to be, but if he can develop into a solid scorer off the bench that averages 11-13 points per game, that would be valuable for The NY Knicks. In order for that to happen Knox needs to improve his shot creation ability and be more assertive, so he can do damage when he gets into the game.