If you could create the ideal type of player your team needs, odds are he’s between 6’7 and 6’10, can shoot the three and defend multiple positions. Sure, there are other attributes you’d like to add, like the brute strength of LeBron James, the unlimited shooting range of Kevin Durant, or the uncanny playmaking ability of a Giannis Antetokounmpo, but if you start from scratch, a solid two-way wing could drastically improve every team in the league.
Enter Kevin Knox, a 6’9 19-year-old prospect who could develop into exactly the kind of player the New York Knicks can fold into their future after selecting him No. 9 overall. Knox isn’t a star playmaker. He’s had difficulty creating offense off the dribble and isn’t the best rim protector for a player his size. But those are things that can, and likely will be improved on. His canvas as-is is enticing enough.
NBADraft.net compared Knox to Tobias Harris. DraftExpress found similarities between him and Paul George, while Kentucky head coach John Calipari drew comparisons to Jayson Tatum. Those are all best-case scenarios, but the talent speaks volumes to the type of player Knox has the potential to become.
The one-and-done Wildcat averaged 15.6 points per game for a Kentucky team that reached the Sweet 16. Calipari ran Knox off screens and used him (at times) as an iso-scorer, but the Knicks found his value most as a spot-up shooter out on the perimeter. He shot 34 percent from deep as a freshman. That number should improve as the years go on.
We don’t know what Knox’s ceiling is, or whether his career trajectory takes him the Jayson Tatum or Trevor Ariza route. But he has the tools at his disposal to, at the very least, become a serviceable 3-and-D wing for many years.
More SB Nation coverage of Kevin Knox:
Too tall to play quarterback, Kevin Knox became a 5-star recruit instead
By Ricky O’Donnell, April 27, 2016
Knox was destined to be a great athlete from the start. He just didn’t know which sport it would be in.
Knox enrolled at Tampa Catholic as a high school freshman mostly known as a quarterback. At 6’4, he had NFL size for the position at 13 years old. He started on varsity as a sophomore and was considered an ESPN top 150 recruit as an “athlete.” He says he can throw a football 65 or 70 yards.
The only thing working against Knox’s football career is that he just kept growing.
”At the end of the day, it’s about physical dimensions,” his father Kevin Knox, Sr., an assistant coach with Each 1 Teach 1, told SB Nation. “Peyton Manning is 6’6. Cam Newton is 6’5. You don’t have too many 6’8 QBs. He’s still 16 years old. He’ll probably be 6’10 with a size 19 or 20 shoe. That doesn’t necessarily equate to a quarterback in the NFL, but those dimensions do translate to a possible NBA player.”
Kevin Knox draft profile and comparison
By Andrew Waters, At the Hive, May 22, 2018
My NBA comparison for Knox is Portland Trailblazer Al-Farouq Aminu. Both players are 6’9 and have shown the ability to switch onto different positions on defense. Both can shoot the three at a respectable rate while being able to score in transition. However, I think Knox could be a better player than Aminu because of his athleticism and offensive versatility. A more lofty comparison for the former Wildcat is Paul George. Sure, Knox does not have all the reliable offensive abilities as PG, but there is a chance that he could achieve such skill. Through development, offseason improvement over many summers, and established coaching, the comparison between Knox and George may not be as far-fetched as it initially seems.