Once considered the future of the New York Knicks, forward Kevin Knox now has to be content with a bench-warming role on the team.
The 21-year-old newbie struggled in 2020-21, which caused him to fall out of the Knicks’ rotation lately. Knox averaged eight minutes in the games against the Utah Jazz and LA Clippers last week before receiving no playing time in the past three games.
When asked about a lack of playing time, Knox acknowledged that he wasn’t in head coach Tom Thibodeau’s plans in recent games but said that he “got to respect” this decision.
“I know we got a lot of great players on this team. The rotations can get tight,” said Knox. “Coach makes a lot of decisions. But he’s the head coach ultimately, so whatever decision he makes, I got to respect it.”
Knox played 20 games so far this season, averaging a career-low 6 points and 2.2 rebounds. Before losing his place in the rotation, he spent 18.2 minutes on the floor per game.
It will be interesting to see what Thibodeau will do with Kevin Knox moving forward.
The Kentucky product was selected No. 9 overall by the Knicks in 2018 and had a promising rookie campaign. In his first season as a pro, he had 12.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while making 57 starts.
Things went downhill for Knox later on, as he failed to make progress and get adjusted to playing consistently.
There is no doubt that Knox will get more opportunities under Thibodeau, considering his youth and potential. But he better start exercising that potential quickly if he intends to have a future in NBA.
