An Aggressive Kevin Knox Led The Way For The Knicks In His Summer League Debut

LAS VEGAS — It’s a given that late in the NBA Draft process every year, one prospect will climb into the top-10 during the final week or two of the lead up to the draft. Sometimes when that happens, the player will go to the Knicks, and a bunch of people boo, because the NBA Draft occurs in New York, and a sect of Knicks fans have booed everyone who has been drafted by the team since Patrick Ewing.

This year, that honor went to Kevin Knox, the University of Kentucky product whose raw talent outweighs the fact that he’s nowhere near a finished product yet. That’s to be expected: Knox only recently began focusing on basketball as his main sport, as he was a college quarterback prospect right up until the time he became a 6’9 dude with a 6’11.5 wingspan and gobs of NBA potential.

Knox still has a way to go, but it’s hard to imagine that his first taste of NBA Summer League action could have gone much better. Knox and the Knicks made their debut in Las Vegas on Saturday afternoon, coming out on top against the Atlanta Hawks, 91-89. Knox lead the way for New York, going for 22 points and eight rebounds, both team highs.

The thing that was so striking about Knox’s performance was that he was so aggressive, shooting a team-high 20 shots while hitting eight. His three-point shooting left something to be desired — Knox went 1-for-7 from behind the arc — but for a player who was knocked coming out of college for his passiveness, watching Knox try to impose himself on the game was an encouraging sign. After the game, Knox told the media that making a concerted effort to attack Atlanta’s defense was part of the game plan.

“That’s kind of what the coaches told me to be from the jump,” Knox said. “They wanted me to be able to attack the basket, get to the free throw line, and that’s kinda what I did. I kinda settled myself in, got to the free throw line, hit some shots. Next thing I know, I was playing really well. So I want to keep staying aggressive, keep getting to the basket.”

Knox kicked the scoring off on the afternoon for the Knicks, as he stripped Jaylen Morris before going in the opposite direction. Despite the fact that Knox was a little nervous before the game, he used this as a chance to show off his handles, dribbling the other way before throwing down.

“A lot of nerves before the game, but a lot of the veteran guys told me just to keep playing,” Knox said. “I got my first dunk and the jitters went away, so it was good. Like I said, I had a lot of nerves but it was good to get my first basket.”

Knox spent large portions of the game above the rim. He’s such a smooth athlete that he can make explosive plays look effortless — take, for instance, this dunk he threw down in the second quarter, in which his defender tried jumping a passing lane. Knox instead cut to the rim, which left him free to throw down from just inside the free throw line after a pass from Frank Ntilikina.

It was about as good of a Summer League debut as Knox could have had. Sure, his shot wasn’t falling, but on the whole, he looked like someone who can turn into an absolute terror as he continues to develop his game. He even received the blessing of a former Knick who believes he fits the team’s culture to a tee.

And who knows? If he keeps things up, maybe the boos he heard on draft night from some Knicks fans will turn into the cheers that fill up Madison Square Garden when the Knicks are good.

“They was booing me and stuff like that, but I just wanted to come out, just play hard, and show them what type of player they was getting,” Knox said. “I played really well tonight, so I’m just gonna try to keep it up, try and make the fans happy.”