5. Brandon Knight
The fact that Brandon Knight is so high up this list speaks volumes about the lack of talent among this 24-year-old group, but he’s not a terrible player either. He’s a poor defender, he’s a bit too turnover-prone, his shot selection is irresponsible, and his true calling in this league might be that of microwave bench scorer…but he still has value because of his streaky scoring ability.
Some nights, Knight will look like an absolute stud, such as his 38-point performance in a win over the Nuggets in November, his 30-15-10 triple-double in a win over the Lakers or his recent 27-point second half that had the league-leading Warriors sweating in the fourth quarter at Oracle Arena.
But he’s failed to step up as the Phoenix Suns‘ lead guard in the absence of Eric Bledsoe and he’s been entirely too banged up since the Bucks traded him last season. His averages of 19.4 points, 5.2 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game show that he clearly has a place in this league, but he’s struggled as the point guard and playing off the ball at times.
If he can stay healthy and accept a bench role behind Devin Booker moving forward, he’ll reach his full potential with the Suns. If not, it might not be long before Phoenix’s log-jammed backcourt leads to a trade of some sort.
Next: No. 4