NBA Rookie Ladder - Mitch @ 5, Trier approaching, Trae > Doncic (***UPDATE Mar 7***)

[Capn'O]

We still need a primary scorer.

Porzingis was at 23 pts a game. He may top out at 25-27 but that is plenty for a primary scorer. I wonder if he would play better with a decent PG?

Knox to me seems like he will be 20+ as well, maybe he ends up being the primary.

Volume matters less than efficiency for KP. I want to see him reach league average in scoring efficiency for once next season, something he has never done so far in his career. I don't think he has what it takes to be the primary scorer on a winning team to be honest, just not enough efficiency, creativity, fluidity and basketball IQ in my opinion. Hopefully Knox becomes that guy, or whoever we draft in June.

While he may have improved/may improve, KP struggles to create unassisted offense. He's way better in C&S situations or when he's already in motion. I haven't really seen a go to move from him Knox can ISO a bit better imo but needs to become a better facilitator.

We need a very good PG who can create and organize like no other.

[Oscirus]

Playing around mercenaries is rubbing off on Knox, I do think once we get down to the core team he'll be a lot better. I legit think the ball going through Knox is the way to go on offense, it'll just come down to how he's developed. We need one more driving guard who can open stuff up and we'll at least start to become competitive.

[cgmw]

Knox next year physically is gonna be amazing.

i hope he can fill out to ben simmons size while keeping his athleticism. knox at 240 pounds and he grows and inch to 6'10 with that jumpshot is scary

I think he could be closer to Giannis’ size when he’s fully grown. Coming in..

Both 19
Giannis was 6’10” 205 lbs with a 7’3” wingspan
Knox is 6’9” 215lbs with a 7’1” wingspan
Similar frames + build

With more size like Giannis, dude will be a beast. He was knocking dudes down left n right today.

His size already allows him to drop a shoulder into Embiid and score at the rim. He’s lanky AF and a man among boys already, even though he looks like a golden retriever pup who hasn’t grown into his paws yet.

If he learns how to pass, the p/r game w/KP will be scary. He’ll be a lethal weakside scorer no matter what.

[Jeff Van Gully]

Read on Twitter

What exactly is the point of you rehashing this.!

—Mags

I just thought it was funny I didn’t notice it before

i always think of this. and it's kind of a pleasant surprise. i found it hilarious then and still do.

[Jeff Van Gully]

love this most recent hahn tweet.

Read on Twitter

[blanko]

Things they said he couldt do he is doing, they said he was soft and that he cant take contact. He is proving them wrong.

Sent from my SM-N960N using Tapatalk

[Triple C]

Read on Twitter

[NYKAL]

Porzingis was at 23 pts a game. He may top out at 25-27 but that is plenty for a primary scorer. I wonder if he would play better with a decent PG?

Knox to me seems like he will be 20+ as well, maybe he ends up being the primary.

Volume matters less than efficiency for KP. I want to see him reach league average in scoring efficiency for once next season, something he has never done so far in his career. I don't think he has what it takes to be the primary scorer on a winning team to be honest, just not enough efficiency, creativity, fluidity and basketball IQ in my opinion. Hopefully Knox becomes that guy, or whoever we draft in June.

While he may have improved/may improve, KP struggles to create unassisted offense. He's way better in C&S situations or when he's already in motion. I haven't really seen a go to move from him Knox can ISO a bit better imo but needs to become a better facilitator.

We need a very good PG who can create and organize like no other.

kind of odd reading this since KP was essentially Iso Melo is his play style. He didn't really rely on guards to set him up

[SelbyCobra]

Read on Twitter

A female in the Knox lineage clearly had Larry Holmes all up in them guts back in the 70s. It's the only reasonable explanation here.

[shtolky]

Read on Twitter

[Sark]

Read on Twitter

A female in the Knox lineage clearly had Larry Holmes all up in them guts back in the 70s. It's the only reasonable explanation here.

Either that or a Klingon.

[Chanel Bomber]

Volume matters less than efficiency for KP. I want to see him reach league average in scoring efficiency for once next season, something he has never done so far in his career. I don't think he has what it takes to be the primary scorer on a winning team to be honest, just not enough efficiency, creativity, fluidity and basketball IQ in my opinion. Hopefully Knox becomes that guy, or whoever we draft in June.

While he may have improved/may improve, KP struggles to create unassisted offense. He's way better in C&S situations or when he's already in motion. I haven't really seen a go to move from him Knox can ISO a bit better imo but needs to become a better facilitator.

We need a very good PG who can create and organize like no other.

kind of odd reading this since KP was essentially Iso Melo is his play style. He didn't really rely on guards to set him up

Yes and he was inefficient at it, which only proves my point and Capn'O's. KP can't create offense for himself and be efficient, hence the need for a playmaker who can give him the ball in motion. If we're going to keep KP and build around him, we will need to sign a point guard. Desperately.

[dakomish23]

This is article from the ringer compares 2018 lottery picks to players from this century and makes 5 comps strictly based on the manipulation of some statistical data. A lot of these are really weird.

https://www.theringer.com/nba/2019/1/8/18173374/nba-rookie-comps-lottery-luka-doncic-deandre-ayton

The Knox section is admittedly skewed by the rough November

Top Five Comps: (1) J.R. Smith, (2) Gordan Giricek, (3) Omri Casspi, (4) Markieff Morris, (5) MarShon Brooks

What It Means: J.R. is back, Knicks fans!

OK, not actually—Knox doesn’t bring Smith’s, let’s say, flair to Madison Square Garden, but this isn’t the most flattering list of comps regardless. The bad news for Knox is that his production has lagged in all areas this season. With just 0.9 assists per game, he doesn’t fare much better than Sexton in his assist-to-usage ratio (eighth percentile among forwards), and his inconsistent shooting gives him the worst TS% of any 2018 lottery pick. (Second worst is Sexton. They’re two peas in an inefficient pod.) Nor is Knox helping much on defense, with less than one steal and block combined per game; he ranks third from the bottom of ESPN’s DRPM leaderboard, ahead of only Young and—again—Sexton.

Atlanta Hawks v New York Knicks
Kevin Knox Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images
The good news is that Knox has played much better of late, averaging 16.9 points per game since the start of December compared to 7.5 points per game before then (albeit in double the minutes). Plug in just his numbers since December 1, and his top comp is Kyle Kuzma. It doesn’t require squinting to see the same DNA in both prestige franchises’ double-K forwards. Knicks fans had better hope so, at least: Knox’s broader comps suggest difficulty even cracking a playoff team’s rotation.

Knox’s case, which was also complicated by an early ankle injury, is a worthwhile reminder that rookie performance bobs and crests. It may also change even more significantly in the second half of the season, as the non-Doncic rookies—who have only ever experienced high school and college schedules—blow by their previous season highs for games played. Let’s reevaluate after the season to see whether Knox’s final comps make him look more like a promising, explosive wing or a future backup.

[RHODEY]

I thought this was interesting to look at as we approach mid season

Watch on YouTube

[blanko]

While he may have improved/may improve, KP struggles to create unassisted offense. He's way better in C&S situations or when he's already in motion. I haven't really seen a go to move from him Knox can ISO a bit better imo but needs to become a better facilitator.

We need a very good PG who can create and organize like no other.

kind of odd reading this since KP was essentially Iso Melo is his play style. He didn't really rely on guards to set him up

Yes and he was inefficient at it, which only proves my point and Capn'O's. KP can't create offense for himself and be efficient, hence the need for a playmaker who can give him the ball in motion. If we're going to keep KP and build around him, we will need to sign a point guard. Desperately.

He was inefficent because teams collapsed on him due to timmy being out. He needs space like all great players. Knox will give him that spacing. Actually a knox kp pick and roll has the potential to be devastating.

Sent from my SM-N960N using Tapatalk

[Chanel Bomber]

kind of odd reading this since KP was essentially Iso Melo is his play style. He didn't really rely on guards to set him up

Yes and he was inefficient at it, which only proves my point and Capn'O's. KP can't create offense for himself and be efficient, hence the need for a playmaker who can give him the ball in motion. If we're going to keep KP and build around him, we will need to sign a point guard. Desperately.

He was inefficent because teams collapsed on him due to timmy being out. He needs space like all great players. Knox will give him that spacing. Actually a knox kp pick and roll has the potential to be devastating.

Sent from my SM-N960N using Tapatalk

That's just a poor excuse. KAT surrounded with poor and/or non-shooters averaged .590, .618 and .646 TS% in his first three seasons in the league, well above league-average. KP hasn't reached league average once. He's strangely not a great finisher around the rim, and he's an inefficient post-up scorer with poor shot selection. He needs to play the 5 though, he will definitely have more spacing there, which should lead to an increase in efficiency. Whether it will lead to a dramatic increase remains to be seen. Don't get me wrong, his potential as a 7'3 rim protector who can shoot 40% from 3 and finish over length is incredible, but his game will need to change from what it was under Jeff. Anyways, I think I've made my point.

[Kampuchea]

January 17, 2019 (Knox Stays at 4)


http://www.nba.com/article/2019/01/17/2018-19-kia-rookie-ladder-week-11?collection=rookie-ladder
4. Kevin Knox, New York Knicks

Kevin Knox joined elite NBA company after his 31-point game vs. Philly.
Last week: No. 4

Knox and the Knicks only had two games this week, thanks to a trip to London for Thursday’s game against the Wizards (3 ET, NBA TV). Still, Knox had one of his best games of the year, scoring 31 points in Sunday’s 108-105 loss to the Sixers. That showing put the 19-year-old in rare company, as he became the youngest Knicks player to score 30 and sixth-youngest player in NBA history to do so (joining Kobe Bryant, Devin Booker, Jaren Jackson Jr., Kevin Durant and LeBron James).

[Kampuchea]

This came out before last game which was rough but after his 31 point effort. Hope he picks it up in the coming week

[Jeff Van Gully]

Read on Twitter

A female in the Knox lineage clearly had Larry Holmes all up in them guts back in the 70s. It's the only reasonable explanation here.

[Billy Goat]

January 17, 2019 (Knox Stays at 4)


http://www.nba.com/article/2019/01/17/2018-19-kia-rookie-ladder-week-11?collection=rookie-ladder
4. Kevin Knox, New York Knicks

Kevin Knox joined elite NBA company after his 31-point game vs. Philly.
Last week: No. 4

Knox and the Knicks only had two games this week, thanks to a trip to London for Thursday’s game against the Wizards (3 ET, NBA TV). Still, Knox had one of his best games of the year, scoring 31 points in Sunday’s 108-105 loss to the Sixers. That showing put the 19-year-old in rare company, as he became the youngest Knicks player to score 30 and sixth-youngest player in NBA history to do so (joining Kobe Bryant, Devin Booker, Jaren Jackson Jr., Kevin Durant and LeBron James).

This isn’t a declaration of whether Knox will be good or not, but there is not a more meaniningless metric in sports than PPG.