Knox on the Hawks: How Kevin Can Help Atlanta
Kevin Knox is a 6-foot-7 forward out of the University of Kentucky. When I attended a couple of Kevin’s high school games back home in the Tampa Bay Area when he played for Tampa Catholic, he dominated top level high school competition. I thought he would be a surefire NBA Hall-of-Famer one day. Unfortunately, things have not played out that way in his career in the league so far, but I see potential for Knox to be a great role player for the playoff hopeful Atlanta Hawks, who he was just traded to, with a few small tweaks in his game.
Knox celebrates after beating rival Tampa Prep in the city championship game. Photo from: Scott Purks.
After a great freshman season at Kentucky, Knox decided to forgo the rest of his college eligibility and go the one and done route. The New York Knicks selected him in the 1st round with the 9th pick of the 2018 draft. He shined in the summer league and looked to be a solid piece for the rebuilding Knicks to develop for the future. However, once his rookie season started, things took a turn for the worst. Knox could only muster a 48% true shooting percentage, a full 8% below league average. He also played very poor defense and turned the ball over at an alarming rate, which when coupled with his weak scoring performance made him the least valuable player in the entire NBA. Knox simply did not look ready for the league.
Knox goes up for a layup against Tennessee. Photo from: Billy Hurst/USA Today.
Fast forward to 2022 and not much has changed. Knox has been buried on the depth chart for the Knicks. He has just been traded to the Hawks. Hopefully, they see in him what I see. Knox is an above average 3-point shooter, at 39% the past two seasons. The only issue is he tries to play like a slasher, which hurts him greatly since he is an abysmal midrange shooter and below average finisher. Luckily, he has been getting better at taking threes instead of long twos or trying to get to the rim, with 70% of his shot attempts being from beyond the arc this year, albeit in very limited minutes. If he continues this trend and makes it even more extreme, he can be an efficient spot up shooter for the Hawks, which will also help cut down on his turnovers since he won’t be in a playmaking role when on the floor. Defense has also been one of Knox’s issues so far in his career. While not good at the moment, a 6’7 wing with his athleticism should be able to be at least an average defender with the right coaching. I know that this can be said for many players in the league, but a team that plays Trae Young for 35 minutes a night and wins games should know how to teach defense.
Knox sizes up a defender for the Knicks. Photo from: Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post.
Overall, with these small changes his game, I truly believe Kevin Knox can be a valuable role player for the Hawks. With a shift in play style to shooting spot up 3s and improved defense, he can be something in the mold of a PJ Tucker-lite from his time in Houston to the heliocentric Hawks offense built around Trae Young rather than James Harden. A change of scenery will be good for Knox, and I can’t wait to see what he does with the opportunity.
All stats pulled from basketball-reference.com