New York Knicks: 3 must-watch storylines this season
3. Can Kevin Knox finally prove his worth?
The first few seasons from the ninth pick in the 2018 NBA Draft have not been all that pretty. During his rookie campaign, Kevin Knox averaged a good 12.8 points per game, with the asterisk of being on a 17-65 team, tied for the worst record in New York Knicks history.
Numbers do not always equal efficiency. That being the case for Knox, his field goal percentages of 37 percent would mostly suit middle to high school players. As if that weren’t enough, he had the worst Box-Plus-Minus (BPM) in the league, with a BPM of -8.5, due to his horrible defense.
You could make the argument that Knox was actually worse during his sophomore season in the league, although that would not be in the interest of anyone to discuss. Regardless of that, Knox is looking for a fresh start in season number three.
Under Tom Thibodeau, who is constantly speaking very highly of the former Kentucky forward, Knox will most likely receive ample playing time and scoring opportunities.
"He’s had two really good days of practice so far. … When Kevin Knox takes good shots, he’s going to make them. He’s put a lot of time into his shooting. He’s gotten stronger. He’s got to continue to work and if he does that, Kevin Knox will be fine.” — Coach on Kevin Knox II pic.twitter.com/zFFFCqLjpR
— NEW YORK KNICKS (@nyknicks) December 7, 2020
By signing approximately 27,000 forwards in 2018, the New York Knicks actually decelerated whatever progress Knox could have made. Now facing much less competition for his time on the MSG floor, let’s hope for more success from the player that has shown sparks of talent.