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New York Knicks: The Ballad of Kevin Knox II

By Christian Kim

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 21: Kevin Knox poses with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted ninth overall by the New York Knicks during the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 21: Kevin Knox poses with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver after being drafted ninth overall by the New York Knicks during the 2018 NBA Draft at the Barclays Center on June 21, 2018 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images) /
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New York Knicks
Kevin Knox, New York Knicks. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

New York Knicks: Kevin Knox’s Rookie Year

The 2018-19 Knicks season started without Kristaps Porzingis due to the injury from the season prior. Regardless of Porzingis’ injury timeline, the team was really void of talent. Players like Frank Ntilikina, Emmanuel Mudiay, Tim Hardaway Jr, and Enes Kanter showed promise but none of them would start on a playoff team.

To add to this, Porzingis demanded a trade and ended up with the Dallas Mavericks. Because of the lack of quality in the roster, Kevin Knox had plenty of opportunities to play, despite his shooting struggles.

He finished the season on 12.8 Points, 4.5 Rebounds, and 1.1 Assists shooting .370/.343/.717.

There were indeed some flashes of consistent perimeter shooting and finishing at the rim. Knox was even awarded rookie of the month in December of 2018. But most of the season, what the Knicks saw were low basketball IQ plays and horrible shot selections.

Kevin Knox, while it was too early to tell to see if he was going to be a bust, did not even reach the level of competency of his draft peer Mitchell Robinson, who went 36th overall. Nonetheless, the Knicks were hopeful of Kevin Knox’s development as he was drafted at such an early age.