Phoenix Suns: What to expect from Brandon Knight

What to expect this year

What can be expected of Brandon Knight this year is directly related to how new head coach Igor Kokoskov uses him.

Luckily for Knight, it is expected by most that he’ll be the starting point guard, though that’s less of a ringing endorsement of him and more of an indictment of the Phoenix Suns’ other point guards.

Even with him being projected to start though, there’s still going to be issues relating to where he fits in the team’s shot hierarchy. Devin Booker is obviously No. 1 on the list, and it seems like Ayton will likely be No. 2.

Josh Jackson is also an important member of the core as well, and could be third.

Knight is definitely not best utilized as a fourth option. He’s adequate at best at passing and defense, so if he’s not scoring, he’s not helping the team very much.

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Unfortunately, he likely won’t be operating with a ton of spacing either. Ayton’s jumper is still a question mark. Jackson and Warren are both poor shooters who are better creating their own shot than they are at creating for others.

Even if Ariza or Bender starts alongside Booker, Ayton and Jackson, the paint will still be at least a little clogged.

If Knight has somehow morphed himself into the perfect complimentary player during his year off from basketball, there will be no issues.

However, expecting him to come back as a knockdown spot-up shooter, lockdown defender, and good passer would be a delusional amount of wishful thinking.

Assuming Knight’s somewhere between the Milwaukee and recent Phoenix versions of himself, Kokoskov will have a real dilemma on his hands. Should he do what’s best for Knight, or do what’s best for the Phoenix Suns?

There’s an argument for each. On the Knight hand, the Suns have lacked a competent point guard since Bledsoe was moved. Knight is head and shoulders above Isaiah Canaan or Elie Okobo, at least for now, and it makes sense to play to his strengths.

Booker can excel as an off-ball threat, running off screens and chucking up threes like a young J.J. Redick. Kokoskov could stagger his minutes with Knight so one is always on the floor, like a poor man’s version of the Houston Rockets’ Chris Paul and James Harden.

Jackson can focus his energies on shutting down the opponent’s best wing every night. Ayton can master rebounding and pick-and-rolls on both ends of the floor before he has to worry about being a featured offensive option in the post.

All of those adjustments would allow Knight to get back to what he used to be: an athletic, attacking, score-first guard. That’s the kind of guard that deserves the roughly two years and $30 million left on his contract.

Even if Knight doesn’t seem like the right fit, the Suns could still pump up his value to trade him. If they can get him back to when he scored nearly 20 points per game like in the 2015-16 season, someone will want him.

However, wouldn’t that stunt the development of the rest of the team, which should likely be prioritized over Knight?

Booker needs a good chunk of time running the offense to develop into a modern combo guard. Jackson can be more than a longer Tony Allen. And as good as DeAndre Jordan is, Deandre Ayton wasn’t drafted just to set screens and block shots.

Even Okobo or Warren should probably get a little time to show what they can do.

Kokoskov finds himself in a position of zugzwang, where any move seems to put him in a worse position. Keep Knight in a small role, and he’ll continue to be little more than an ill-fitting, injury-prone player with an albatross contract.

Allow Knight to do what he does best, and hurt the development of those who matter more.

It’s an unenviable position to be in for sure. The smart money is on Kokoskov starting Knight at the beginning of the season and just seeing what he does with the time given to him.

Maybe he’ll turn back the clock to the Milwaukee days; maybe he’ll injure himself again or continue to be a shell of what he once was.

One thing is for sure: even with a new head coach, time is running out for Knight. If he doesn’t perform well early on, he may find that he’s dug himself a hole so deep with his play the last few years that there’s no way out.