New York Knicks new team president Leon Rose reportedly doesn’t know what to make of Kevin Knox. In a Knicks mailbag on the New York Post, Marc Berman said a source indicated that Rose isn’t sure the 20-year-old forward is part of the team’s future.
As a rookie, Knox started in 57 of the 75 games he played. He played 28.8 minutes per game and scored 12.8 points per game. Knox was inefficient, as he shot just 37% from the floor, but with the Knicks going nowhere, they force-fed him minutes and shots.
In his sophomore season, Knox hasn’t had nearly as much opportunity to play or shoot the ball. New York signed several forwards in the offseason, which pushed Knox to the bench. He started in just four games and played 17.9 minutes per night. With the inconsistent playing time, Knox’s shooting has fallen off to 35.9%.
Knox was once seen as part of the young core the Knicks are building around. That group includes rookie wing RJ Barrett and second-year center Mitchell Robinson. Barrett had an uneven first season, but showed plenty of promise. Robinson has improved in his second year, and was leading the NBA in field goal percentage at 74.2%.
With Rose leading a new front office, Knox’s status is no longer as secure as it once was. When Rose took over, there was a belief he would ask interim head coach Mike Miller to give Knox more minutes. Instead, Rose told Miller to play the players he believed would lead to wins. Miller reportedly doesn’t believe Knox is ready to contribute to winning.
This fall, Rose and the Knicks will have to make a decision on picking up their fourth-year team option on Knox’s rookie scale contract. That 2021-22 option is for $5.8 million.
