Column: The Knicks still have faith in Kevin Knox. Good.
Kevin Knox is in the midst of a tumultuous sophomore year, fighting for playing time through shooting slumps in what fans hoped would be a big season for the former ninth-overall pick.
Despite this, last week SNY's Ian Begley reported "several teams in touch with the Knicks prior to Mills' reassignment came away with the impression that New York was very hesitant to deal Knox" during February's trade deadline.
This may come as a surprise to those disappointed with his performance thus far, but the New York front office showing faith in their lottery pick is a step in the right direction for a franchise notorious for its quick trigger in dealing away assets and young talent.
The Knicks have yet to extend one of their drafted players beyond their rookie deal since 1994, and though many that fit the criteria never developed as the team hoped or were shipped in a deal too good to pass up, the Garden faithful have had to watch as one-by-one, these pieces flourished elsewhere. The memories of losing Trevor Ariza, Danilo Gallinari, and Kristaps Porzingis just a year ago can still be haunting.
Knox may never be one of those guys, but it's way too early to give up on him. He is still just 20 years old and 136 games into his professional basketball career, and although his basic statistics aren't showing much growth, he's improved over last year in concrete ways. Knox cut down on mid-range jumpers this season, with 69.2% of his shot attempts coming at the rim or behind the arc in 2019-20, up from 61.9% in his rookie campaign. His defense, once porous, is working its way toward passable. Opposing teams aren't picking on him like they once were, thanks to better focus and a worthwhile summer in the weight room. He's recorded as many blocks this year (24) as last year, despite 1000 fewer minutes seeing the floor. Every so often, you catch a glimpse of his playmaking potential, hardly noted out of college and not nearly experimented with enough thus far.
There are still plenty of concerns, enough for their own column. Knox's shooting has looked stellar at times and awful in the other 85% of his outings. What role he commands on a good team is still a giant question mark. A golden scenario for the Knicks would be him finding his range, continuing to build on his body and becoming a Swiss army knife stretch-four who can contribute in some of the smaller ways: using his 6'11" wingspan on the boards, making a timely defensively play or assist and skying to the rim with a surprise cut.
Maybe Knox never becomes that. But failing to invest in his development or absolving yourself of the challenge in a low-to-zero return means the Knicks would never find out, or worse, have to watch him become that for another team.
