2: Kevin Knox – 2018
A year after Ntilikina was drafted at No. 8, the Knicks selected Kentucky’s Kevin Knox with the No. 9 pick in the 2018 draft. The forward spent three and a half seasons in New York before he was traded to the Atlanta Hawks in January of this year as part of the Cam Reddish deal.
In his rookie season, Knox averaged 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 75 games (57 starts) while shooting 37% from the field and 34.3% from the 3-point line. After that, his playing time and statistics decreased dramatically. Knox didn’t start at all in the 55 games that he played in for the Knicks during 2020-21 and 2021-22.
He started out strong and matched the high expectations that are attached to lottery picks, but he stalled out and got drowned out in the rotation. One could argue that he would’ve been better fit for success if he would’ve been drafted by a more stable organization, so perhaps he’ll have a breakthrough with the Hawks.
In Atlanta’s first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat, Knox scored 10 points in five minutes in Game 1 (3-of-5) and 12 points in four minutes in Game 4 (4-of-6). At the age of 22 (a year younger than Ntilikina), he still has time to try to get back to the player that he was in his first season in the league.
What’s left of Knox in New York is Reddish, who showed flashes of promise in the 15 games that he played in for the Knicks before he sustained a season-ending shoulder injury. If Reddish, the No. 10 pick in the 2019 draft, can have a bounce-back season in 2022-23, using a lottery pick to select Knox can still end up paying off.