Why Kevin Knox’s tough start in the NBA could have been more about coaching than the player himself
Kevin Knox has finally started to find his way this year under Tom Thibodeau and the new Knicks coaching staff, which begs the question: How much of his lackluster development can be attributed to his past coaches, and is there a good chance he could still be an NBA rotation player? Collin Loring examines.
Do you remember where you were at 19? Even at the ripe old age of 24, I can still recall, and rather clearly. (Who am I kidding, I had to take a peek through old photos on Facebook just to confirm I was on planet Earth.) Apparently at some point that year I shaved my head, and honestly, that’s probably enough to convey my point.
Now imagine you were drafted to the NBA, and you’re a millionaire at 19. Yeah.
One of my favorite quotes from The Office comes from season five, courtesy of Pam Beesly: “When a child gets behind the wheel of a car and runs into a tree, you don't blame the child; he didn't know any better. You blame the 30-year-old woman who got in the passenger seat and said, "Drive, kid; I trust you.” And while the New York Knicks may have not given Kevin Knox explicit orders to drive back in 2018, they definitely left him in the vehicle, keys in the ignition, and in the absence of supervision.
So what did he do? Well, he crashed. But just as Beesly suggests in The Office, is it really Knox we ought to blame? Could it be that a young kid looking to make his mark on the league bit off more than he could chew, or in this case, was force-fed half a dozen cupcakes, all left over from a birthday party he didn’t attend? I’ll be the first to acknowledge he’s been bad, ever since his shock-the-world debut performance(s) in Summer League. But since he’s been drafted, what’s been good about the Knicks?
Personally, the Kentucky product was always my preferred pick in that draft class, up until the moment Adam Silver announced his new marriage with New York. Something about his scoring potential, and pedigree college experience seemed like a kick in the ass the Knicks needed so desperately. They were coming off of an earnest yet pitiful campaign that earned them 29 wins, and the balls to finally trade Carmelo Anthony. It was the dawn of a new era in my mind, with Kevin Knox set to help lead the way.
His rookie year wasn’t terrible, but the Knicks were, and it was to be expected. If nothing else, Knox proved he can score on at least average NBA defenders, and in a variety of ways that year. He averaged 12.8 points on a poor 37% field goal percentage, but knocked down 34% of his 3-pointers; a more encouraging number. Knox played 28.8 minutes per game, and it seemed New York was trying to maximize his exposure in order to accelerate his transition that offseason into year two.
But the Knicks never set him (or themselves) up for success afterward. It was almost as if they read “Reverse Talent Development 101” with the way they approached the first two seasons of Knox’s career. In regards to why, for me, that conversation starts at the point guard position, a long time plague in Madison Square Garden. It’s the exact reason I campaigned so hard for the team to trade for Chris Paul; last season with the Oklahoma City Thunder is the perfect reminder of what a real floor general can do for young guys still figuring themselves out.
Knox hasn’t had that luxury. I’m sure he’s friendly with Frank Ntilikina (another potential draft bust by New York), so it’s certainly fun when they take the court together. But Ntilikina has his own career he needs to keep afloat. Reaching for a hand that belongs to someone who’s already halfway to drowning isn’t necessarily the most optimal strategy. It’s not been solely Ntilikina either, but to talk about every half-ass, veteran, or journeyman point guard the Knicks have dragged home like a last-minute essay assignment would require a whole separate article.
And it goes beyond the point guard talent. Knox has also had to deal with the chaotic, ever-changing hysteria that has been playing for the New York Knicks over the last decade. Between the media, the front office, and, most importantly, the coaching carousel, it’s not hard to see why he hasn’t developed accordingly or at a faster pace.
One other factor at play here — that's not only affected him specifically, but likely all the other Knicks youth — is roster continuity, or lack thereof. If you don’t count the returning players from last year — New York’s key guys like Mitchell Robinson and RJ Barrett — Knox has had 20 teammates over the span of two seasons. If you include the rest of the Knicks’ main cast that number jumps up to 28. This doesn’t even include short-lived tenures of two-way guys like Henry Ellenson or Isaiah Hicks, for what it’s worth.
Even for guys that play on constantly rotating, contender-caliber rosters, that’s an unprecedented number of faces to sift through and play next to on the court. Team chemistry can’t be bought, traded for, or signed — it happens organically, and only organically. A positive and encouraging environment is almost a must-have for young and upcoming players. But this isn’t news for Knicks fans or the front office. Every year we hear the sad and same promises that they’ll finally build a culture. For Knox, that has served only as a detriment to his growth as a player.
For those that may argue that true talent always succeeds, even under poor coaching, sure. But it’s more than that with Knox. Prior coaches (and even Thibs thus far) have insisted on convincing Knox that he’s a small forward. I don’t think I need to present the square peg into a round hole cliche, but that’s where we’re at. Kevin Knox is 6-foot-7 and 215-220 lbs (allegedly, but look at him next to Obi Toppin, listed at 6-foot-9, 240 lbs, and tell me that’s accurate). That, along with his play style, project his long-term position at the four. This is how Basketball Reference has his past minutes per position distributed:
2018-2019: SF 55%, PF 44%
2019-2020: SF 77%, PF 19%
We’re not going to discuss David Fizdale and Mike Miller’s shooting guard experiment from last year, which took up all of three percent of Knox’s minutes, and should never be revisited.
Thibodeau has done a better job deploying him off the bench so far this season, and oftentimes as the first substitution. Basketball-Reference has Knox’s minutes split up at 55% power forward, 45% small forward so far this season.
It’s more so on the defensive side of the ball, but to some extent on offense as well, he’s just being set up as a liability in any and all matchups as a small forward. Making his shots would help, yes. But when he’s being hounded by an athletic wing a la Robert Covington, what kind of (if any) message are you sending? Kevin Knox is a power forward. The New York Knicks should play him as such, and primarily against power forwards. It’s not that hard.
As sports fans, it is in our nature to grow more displeased with players throughout their struggles, game by game. We sit on our couches downing pizza and beer, claiming common NBA maneuvers players have failed to accomplish are well within reach — even as a non-professional. Take any of Knox’s 134 missed 3-point attempts last year (yes, that’s the real number, unfortunately). Can I make an open 3-pointer from some of those spots? Absolutely. But could I have made it in that moment, mid-game, knowing an NBA defender is soon to close out on my open look? Probably not. There’s a certain responsibility Knox has to stomach in this situation, but let’s not get carried away. All the kid can do is work. And he’s done that, which is why we’re seeing some positive results within the regular season’s start.
There may not be a better testament to Knox’s outlook than the Knicks’ surprising victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. While he may have not stuffed the stat sheet, the forward recorded a +17 plus/minus, second only to RJ Barrett and Alec Burks’ tie at +21. Knox tallied seven points, four rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block in 26 minutes of play. Plus/minus may be an odd, and sometimes unconventional statistic, but that’s his best single game plus/minus in almost a year. Knox posted a +18 in a win over the Washington Wizards last December, a game in which he made just one field goal in 19 minutes.
If nothing else, the kid is determined to achieve. Whether that’s in New York with the Knicks has yet to be determined, much like the future of the franchise. Knox hasn’t had the strongest start to his NBA career, and there is a chance he won’t pan out as a starter or rotation player for a good team. But to throw the towel on his future already would be futile. He’s played just two years for a bottom-five franchise that is finally showing signs of promise, unity, and cohesion.
