Rumors say that Leon Rose does not know what to make of 20-year-old small forward Kevin Knox, and is unsure if he is part of the Knicks future. On the other side, Kevin Knox’s camp is upset that Leon Rose didn’t influence Mike Miller to play him more. (Via Marc Berman)
My thoughts: Kevin Knox has been put in a really tough situation to develop. Statistically, Kevin Knox has had the biggest decrease in touches, minutes, and shots (discounting injuries), from a rookie to a sophomore season in NBA history. This is absolutely unacceptable. Yes, Knox, last year was horrendous defensively and was very inefficient offensively, but most of the time, that’s what happens with rookies unless you find a diamond in the rough like Luka Doncic. For a player to grow, he needs to be on the court, have the ball in his hands, and he needs to get shots up. And because we signed 7 veterans that needed the ball on their hands and were practically guaranteed minutes, it was hard for Kevin to find a real spot on the team. However, Leon Rose didn’t draft Knox and he most likely doesn’t have a great connection with him and doesn’t feel the need to keep him. Knox can definitely be used in a trade for a veteran or young player, but I think we should give him more time. Next year, if we give him a real shot with real minutes and he doesn’t perform well, then maybe it is time to trade him, but I don’t want to base a player’s full career after two years.
What are your thoughts on the Knox situation?