Entering the third season of the NBA, it’s easy to forget that Kevin Knox is younger than Knicks’ first-round pick in 2020, Obi Toppin.
The 21-year-old striker is still struggling to get the consistency he missed in his first two years at New York, but Knox provided outside photos for a second straight pre-season game with 20 points off the bench in 119 -83 defeat the Knights in the Garden.
Including the fourth quarter of Knicks’ previous victory over Cleveland two nights earlier, Knox buried nine of his last 10 3-point attempts.
“Looking at his career, when he took good photos, he always took them. Or at least they had a good chance to do it, “said Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau.
“But I want him to start – first with his defense, running on the floor, coming back and then distancing the floor. And then we thought our boys did a great job of getting in and finding him. I enjoyed reading the rim. Kevin worked hard to prepare for the season. “
Knox, the choice of the Knicks lottery in 2018 (ninth overall), enjoyed a promising season for beginners, averaging 12.8 points and 28.8 minutes per game over 75 appearances. But the former Kentucky star’s playing time (17.9 minutes per game) and score (6.4 points per game) dropped significantly in the second season.
Knox started strong last year, with double-digit points in seven of his first 11 games, but won 10 or more points in just eight of his final 54 appearances.
After a minor impact on the Knicks’ first two preseason games against the Pistons, Knox were 4 to 4 on the field in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s comeback victory over the Knights. He then hit seven of the 10 shots (including 6-for-7 from a distance) in Friday night’s blast against the Cavaliers in the team’s final before opening Wednesday’s regular season in Indiana.
“I just play with energy, move without basketball and do a very good job, finding only open places on the floor,” Knox said. “My colleagues always come to me wondering how I am always open.
“I just keep moving without basketball, you, I distance the corners, I find open goals and, as I said, I really do a good job with my colleagues finding myself open … and being ready to shoot before the ball get there, ready. I’ve been working on all this all summer. “
With a new team of coaches – and especially coming from a rocky 2019-20 campaign – Knox acknowledged that it is important for him to have a strong pre-season presentation, especially on a list that clearly needs a threat. consistent external.
“It’s good, it’s always good to see the ball go through the net,” Knox said. “But with the pre-season, starting with Wednesday, we start the real games, so I want to keep working, to watch a lot of movies, to take a lot of photos.
“It was great to see the ball go through the net in the last two games and I hope I can continue with that confidence and play with it constantly, as I played.”