New York Knicks: 5 takeaways from 2019 Las Vegas Summer League

1. Kevin Knox has a long way to go

The New York Knicks selected Kevin Knox with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. The Kentucky product was raw but possessed one of the highest ceilings in his draft class. He showcased some of that talent last year in the Summer League, garnering some attention from fans around the league.

Unfortunately, when the regular season rolled around, his rawness showed. Knox had some flashes but was overwhelmed at times. That is expected, as Knox was one of the youngest players in the NBA and had a long way to go in his development. Unfortunately, it looks like he still has a long way to go.

Second-year players going to Summer League are normally looked at to lead teams, especially when they were a high draft pick and logged big minutes as Knox did. That was not what happened.

Knox struggled to find consistency, shooting 40.0 percent from the field. It was encouraging that he took double-digit free throws in three consecutive games to close out summer league, but he was only 67.5 percent from the charity stripe. Knox has great shooting form on his jumper, but he has to find consistency scoring the ball.

When he had the ball in his hands, he didn’t look comfortable as a playmaker and decision-maker. He threw numerous passes away and had the ball poked away from him on multiple occasions as he was dribbling to the basket. Improving his ballhandling and confidence doing it is imperative to him reaching the next level.

With so many veterans added in free agency this summer, Knox will have a much shorter leash come the regular season. If he doesn’t perform well, he could see his minutes slashed considerably.

Much like his rookie season, Knox had some nice flashes in Las Vegas but wasn’t able to put it together consistently. Overall, it was an underwhelming performance from the former hyped lottery pick.