NBA: Ranking all 30 starting power forwards for 2018-19

29. Kevin Knox, New York Knicks

After such an impressive time in Las Vegas, where he averaged 21.3 points and 6.5 rebounds per game en route to First Team All-NBA Summer League honors, a No. 29 ranking for Kevin Knox feels disrespectful. However, there are a couple of factors holding him back on this list, even if he could very well contend for Rookie of the Year.

For starters, although his game looked undeniably NBA-ready in Vegas, he might be pigeonholed into the starting 4-spot with Kristaps Porzingis on the mend. Fingers crossed for the Zinger to return healthy around Christmas and start the majority of the season here instead, but an ACL tear is no joke, and the New York Knicks won’t be rushing their franchise star back on the court.

Until Porzingis is back, Knox might be too good to come off the bench as a backup 3 behind Tim Hardaway Jr., especially in what looks like a lost season. New York also might not have a more sensible option at power forward, but most draft experts believed it’d be some time before Knox was ready to hold it down as a small-ball 4. Because of those red flags, an out-of-position rookie falls further down the list than his overall talent level deserves.