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Official 2019 NYK offseason thread. Brooklyn knick fans check in
- Thread in 'Sports & Training' Thread starter Started by pr0phecy718,
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Was just watching the Celtics game and Hayward looks pretty bad, with his contract and the young ones contracts coming up, Plus Kyrie being a FA and Horford has a PO for next year, The Celtics are in a ****** position.
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They're sitting on a **** ton of assets including multiple lottery picks. Even if they lose Kyrie, they're in a great position.
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Kid is gonna look great in a Knick uniform when we dont land the #1 pick. That ugly *** haircut wont fly here though.
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Welp, Myrie to the Lakers confirmed. "Daddy it's cold out here, I want to come home" 
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After all these years of disappointment...man, a broken clock is right twice a day.
But I been using that logic since like '06.
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Let's say we hit the lotto and get #1...
Is it clearly Zion @ 1 or what ya thinking?
Is it clearly Zion @ 1 or what ya thinking?
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JJ Goon
formerly prettyboy ry7
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Was going to go to the game tonight but scalpers got all the tickets first and are wanting $400 each
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By the way, you can tell which NTers are real life *****es. Is funny to me . Lol
JJ Goon
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Early season struggles behind him, Kevin Knox has become a focal point of the Knicks offense
Kevin Knox grew up watching film of Kevin Durant, sifting through any he could find of him. He watched his games at Texas, where he first discovered Durant. He took in Durant’s games in Oklahoma City, and then with the Warriors.
He watched highlights and workout videos, studying Durant’s moves and his motion. Every piece of his game was a lesson for Knox, who picked which parts he wanted to incorporate into his own.
When Knox finally matched up with Durant for the first time last week in Oakland, there was nothing left to surprise him. He had already seen it all.
The Knicks hope that Knox can develop into their own version of Durant someday. David Fizdale has talked about having Knox replicate part of Durant’s game — not just his offense but also how he defends and protects the rim.
The similarities aren’t exact, and the aspirations are extremely hopeful. Durant is a 7-foot do-everything All-Star, one of the best NBA players ever. Knox is 6-9 — though there still might be another inch left to grow — and just 19 years old, with serious defensive questions and an effort level that’s drawn skepticism from his own coach. Any comparison with Durant is likely to fall short.
After a slow start, Knox has come on lately, averaging 17.8 points and shooting 38.5 percent on 3-pointers over his past 16 games and winning Eastern Conference rookie of the month.
“He’s playing some big minutes. Really starting to get a feel for the game,” Durant said. “He has a bright future ahead of him.”
While Knox has received some lofty comparisons, he’s already handling a heavy burden this season. Despite his youth and inexperience, he is quickly becoming a focal point of the Knicks offense. Without Tim Hardaway Jr. in the lineup Sunday, Knox scored a career-high 31 points in a loss to the 76ers.
Even with Hardaway’s return, Knox will remain at the center of the Knicks’ attack. More of his team’s possessions end in Knox’s hands than for Kyle Lowry in Toronto, and at a similar rate as those for Ben Simmons and Marc Gasol.
The Knicks have been preparing Knox for such a load, playing him 36.2 minutes per game in that stretch and appropriating bulks of the offense to him, as Fizdale finds ways to highlight his rookie.
“We stress conditioning to him a lot,” Fizdale said. “We’ve been trying to build his tank up to be this kind of guy that can play big minutes and really perform throughout the game.”
Knox has accepted the burden with open arms. Since Dec. 8, when his recent upswing began, he’s just about tied with Emmanuel Mudiay for the team lead in shots per game.
He’s averaged more shots per game in that time than Victor Oladipo or DeAaron Fox, with 11 games of 15 or more field goal attempts.
Knox is one of just 28 teenagers in NBA history to play at least 900 minutes in a season and post a usage rate higher than 20 percent — a level matching Tracy McGrady, Bradley Beal, Zach LaVine and Anthony Davis in their age-19 seasons. That list, mostly, portends good things for Knox.
“He’s running more stuff for me,” Knox said. “If you’re making shots, he’s going to run stuff for you. I’m kind of happy to get these minutes and opportunities. Not a lot of rookies get this. It’s a great opportunity. I just want to go out there and make as many shots as I can, play as hard as I can and help my team win.”
Knox has noticed a change in how opponents play him. Earlier in the season, as he adjusted to the NBA, then worked to get over a sprained ankle, he felt as if there was less attention.
“I’m sure when I go out there, teams are game-planning against me, trying to stop me,” he said recently.
That’s forced Knox to adjust. He’s noticed that teams are now trying to prevent him from catching the ball to start his possession, trapping him on pick and rolls and trying to stop him from getting out in transition.
He’s become more comfortable on the ball in the pick and roll, working on his passing and decision-making, two things he struggled with early.
He’s made the most strides, he believes, in the pick and roll and in reading defenses, getting more reps as the season has progressed and working with assistant coach Jud Buechler before every game. The Knicks have stayed on him to keep low as he turns the corner off a pick, with the belief that it will allow him to be more explosive and require less time and energy to get his shot off.
“When you run the pick and roll, you gotta be able to read the different guys on the court defensively so you can make the right passes,” Knox said. “If all the passes are taken, you gotta be able to shoot your shot. I’ve been able to read that a lot better in the pick and roll, just being able to read the defense, make the right passes, get to my spots and be able to rise up and shoot.”
Knox’s game still needs plenty of work. He doesn’t get to the rim enough — he’s in the bottom third of all forwards in shots at the rim, according to Cleaning The Glass, and in the bottom 10 percent in shooting percentage there.
There have been signs of improvement, though. He shot just 42.9 percent on shots within 5 feet of the basket before Dec. 9 and is shooting 51.6 percent since.
Knox had a habit of jumping too early as he attacked the rim early in the season, taking off from far-flung spots, struggling to finish and allowing rim protectors to tower over him. That has abated, too, since Knox started making it a conscious decision to become less reckless. He’s added a floater as a weapon around the rim, giving him a shot to turn to instead of trying to fly into traffic.
“I haven’t done that in a long time, which is a good thing,” he said. “I’m getting a lot better at my take-off points. Early in the season, I was taking off pretty much inside the free-throw line, almost. Just trying to take my 1-2 step. Not that many people can do that. I think Giannis is probably the only one who can do that. I’ve been a lot better at taking the extra dribble, getting into the lane, being able to get to the free-throw line a lot more, being able to finish through contact. I’m doing a lot better at that.”
Knox is hurt by the Knicks’ lack of a playmaker on the roster, with Mudiay and Trey Burke more often scorers than facilitators, and Frank Ntilikina still raw offensively. A catalyzing point guard could help Knox’s efficiency and his development.
He has depended on teammates for the majority of his shots — 69.6 percent of his made field goals have been assisted, which is the fourth-highest rate on the Knicks and the 11th-highest of all rookies who have played at least 25 games. His efficiency jumps when Mudiay isn’t sharing the court — Knox’s eFG% goes from 43 to 48.7 percent. His accuracy on catch-and-shoot 3s (35.7 percent) far surpasses his numbers on any pull-up shots (30.9 percent).
Where Knox’s game goes from here remains to be seen, but Durant might serve as a guide. He’s tried to imitate the Warriors star since he was a teenager in Tampa.
Akii Dean, who has helped train and develop Knox since the player was 15, says he told Knox to use Durant as a model from their first workout. Dean saw parallels, from their height to how they use their length and handle. He even saw Knox’s demeanor on the court as comparable. The two would watch film of Durant and incorporate parts of his game into Knox’s, and they still do.
“Anything Durant’s doing,” Dean said. “He’s always going to be receptive to it.”
Last spring, before beginning pre-draft workouts, Dean sat down with Knox, his family and his agent and asked what they envisioned him being in the NBA. They reached a consensus that foresaw him in the mold of Paul George, Kevin Durant and Otto Porter, and then they went about devising a workout plan to train him for it. Knox watched film of Durant and George, studying what reads they made on the court. They then put him on the floor with five or six players, forcing him to make the right decisions himself and to get his ballhandling tighter with multiple players pressuring him.
There is still work to be done for Knox. He can still get his handle tighter, make his reads better and use pace on the pick and roll, but the Knicks are giving him the opportunity now to make it work during games. Quickly, he’s become a fulcrum of their offense, just a 19-year-old rookie getting the room to learn and grow in real time.
And-1s
• Luke Kornet matched-up with Joel Embiid on Sunday and left Madison Square Garden looking good. He finished with 23 points, five rebounds, five assists and as a +25 in 23 minutes in the Knicks’ 108-105 loss to Philadelphia. He’s already hit more 3-pointers this season than he did all of last year as a rookie. He drained three more against the Sixers.
Kornet’s effect on the Knicks’ offense, though, remains muddled. The team definitely plays differently with him on the floor. As of Sunday morning, they shoot 7.2 percent more 3s when he’s on the court than when he sits, according to Cleaning The Glass. The team’s eFG% jumps up by 2.1 percent, and the Knicks average 5.4 more points per play in the halfcourt when he’s on the floor.
But the net effect of Kornet remains negative. The Knicks entered Sunday scoring 3.3 points fewer per 100 possessions with Kornet than when he sits, and they were 7.3 points worse altogether. That number jumped to 5.2 points per 100 possessions when excluding garbage time, according to Cleaning The Glass.
There is no doubt that Kornet changes the complexion of the offense when he plays, but it’s too early to say that he makes the Knicks a better team.
• The Knicks have already started doing some background research on USC guard Kevin Porter Jr., looking to glean some intel on the potential top-10 pick. Not much should be made of this. Teams use the entire year to scout and study up on the prospects preparing for June’s NBA Draft, and it’s likely that Porter is not the only one they’ve already looked into.
• The Knicks, at 10-33, are now in a tie with the Bulls for the second-worst record in the league. Cleveland, the worst, is 8-35. The three worst teams have the highest odds of landing the No. 1 pick, each holding a 14 percent chance.
Mike Vorkunov is a staff writer at The Athletic New York. He has also contributed to the New York Times, USA Today, VICE Sports, and started his career at the Newark Star-Ledger. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeVorkunov.
Kevin Knox grew up watching film of Kevin Durant, sifting through any he could find of him. He watched his games at Texas, where he first discovered Durant. He took in Durant’s games in Oklahoma City, and then with the Warriors.
He watched highlights and workout videos, studying Durant’s moves and his motion. Every piece of his game was a lesson for Knox, who picked which parts he wanted to incorporate into his own.
When Knox finally matched up with Durant for the first time last week in Oakland, there was nothing left to surprise him. He had already seen it all.
The Knicks hope that Knox can develop into their own version of Durant someday. David Fizdale has talked about having Knox replicate part of Durant’s game — not just his offense but also how he defends and protects the rim.
The similarities aren’t exact, and the aspirations are extremely hopeful. Durant is a 7-foot do-everything All-Star, one of the best NBA players ever. Knox is 6-9 — though there still might be another inch left to grow — and just 19 years old, with serious defensive questions and an effort level that’s drawn skepticism from his own coach. Any comparison with Durant is likely to fall short.
After a slow start, Knox has come on lately, averaging 17.8 points and shooting 38.5 percent on 3-pointers over his past 16 games and winning Eastern Conference rookie of the month.
“He’s playing some big minutes. Really starting to get a feel for the game,” Durant said. “He has a bright future ahead of him.”
While Knox has received some lofty comparisons, he’s already handling a heavy burden this season. Despite his youth and inexperience, he is quickly becoming a focal point of the Knicks offense. Without Tim Hardaway Jr. in the lineup Sunday, Knox scored a career-high 31 points in a loss to the 76ers.
Even with Hardaway’s return, Knox will remain at the center of the Knicks’ attack. More of his team’s possessions end in Knox’s hands than for Kyle Lowry in Toronto, and at a similar rate as those for Ben Simmons and Marc Gasol.
The Knicks have been preparing Knox for such a load, playing him 36.2 minutes per game in that stretch and appropriating bulks of the offense to him, as Fizdale finds ways to highlight his rookie.
“We stress conditioning to him a lot,” Fizdale said. “We’ve been trying to build his tank up to be this kind of guy that can play big minutes and really perform throughout the game.”
Knox has accepted the burden with open arms. Since Dec. 8, when his recent upswing began, he’s just about tied with Emmanuel Mudiay for the team lead in shots per game.
He’s averaged more shots per game in that time than Victor Oladipo or DeAaron Fox, with 11 games of 15 or more field goal attempts.
Knox is one of just 28 teenagers in NBA history to play at least 900 minutes in a season and post a usage rate higher than 20 percent — a level matching Tracy McGrady, Bradley Beal, Zach LaVine and Anthony Davis in their age-19 seasons. That list, mostly, portends good things for Knox.
“He’s running more stuff for me,” Knox said. “If you’re making shots, he’s going to run stuff for you. I’m kind of happy to get these minutes and opportunities. Not a lot of rookies get this. It’s a great opportunity. I just want to go out there and make as many shots as I can, play as hard as I can and help my team win.”
Knox has noticed a change in how opponents play him. Earlier in the season, as he adjusted to the NBA, then worked to get over a sprained ankle, he felt as if there was less attention.
“I’m sure when I go out there, teams are game-planning against me, trying to stop me,” he said recently.
That’s forced Knox to adjust. He’s noticed that teams are now trying to prevent him from catching the ball to start his possession, trapping him on pick and rolls and trying to stop him from getting out in transition.
He’s become more comfortable on the ball in the pick and roll, working on his passing and decision-making, two things he struggled with early.
He’s made the most strides, he believes, in the pick and roll and in reading defenses, getting more reps as the season has progressed and working with assistant coach Jud Buechler before every game. The Knicks have stayed on him to keep low as he turns the corner off a pick, with the belief that it will allow him to be more explosive and require less time and energy to get his shot off.
“When you run the pick and roll, you gotta be able to read the different guys on the court defensively so you can make the right passes,” Knox said. “If all the passes are taken, you gotta be able to shoot your shot. I’ve been able to read that a lot better in the pick and roll, just being able to read the defense, make the right passes, get to my spots and be able to rise up and shoot.”
Knox’s game still needs plenty of work. He doesn’t get to the rim enough — he’s in the bottom third of all forwards in shots at the rim, according to Cleaning The Glass, and in the bottom 10 percent in shooting percentage there.
There have been signs of improvement, though. He shot just 42.9 percent on shots within 5 feet of the basket before Dec. 9 and is shooting 51.6 percent since.
Knox had a habit of jumping too early as he attacked the rim early in the season, taking off from far-flung spots, struggling to finish and allowing rim protectors to tower over him. That has abated, too, since Knox started making it a conscious decision to become less reckless. He’s added a floater as a weapon around the rim, giving him a shot to turn to instead of trying to fly into traffic.
“I haven’t done that in a long time, which is a good thing,” he said. “I’m getting a lot better at my take-off points. Early in the season, I was taking off pretty much inside the free-throw line, almost. Just trying to take my 1-2 step. Not that many people can do that. I think Giannis is probably the only one who can do that. I’ve been a lot better at taking the extra dribble, getting into the lane, being able to get to the free-throw line a lot more, being able to finish through contact. I’m doing a lot better at that.”
Knox is hurt by the Knicks’ lack of a playmaker on the roster, with Mudiay and Trey Burke more often scorers than facilitators, and Frank Ntilikina still raw offensively. A catalyzing point guard could help Knox’s efficiency and his development.
He has depended on teammates for the majority of his shots — 69.6 percent of his made field goals have been assisted, which is the fourth-highest rate on the Knicks and the 11th-highest of all rookies who have played at least 25 games. His efficiency jumps when Mudiay isn’t sharing the court — Knox’s eFG% goes from 43 to 48.7 percent. His accuracy on catch-and-shoot 3s (35.7 percent) far surpasses his numbers on any pull-up shots (30.9 percent).
Where Knox’s game goes from here remains to be seen, but Durant might serve as a guide. He’s tried to imitate the Warriors star since he was a teenager in Tampa.
Akii Dean, who has helped train and develop Knox since the player was 15, says he told Knox to use Durant as a model from their first workout. Dean saw parallels, from their height to how they use their length and handle. He even saw Knox’s demeanor on the court as comparable. The two would watch film of Durant and incorporate parts of his game into Knox’s, and they still do.
“Anything Durant’s doing,” Dean said. “He’s always going to be receptive to it.”
Last spring, before beginning pre-draft workouts, Dean sat down with Knox, his family and his agent and asked what they envisioned him being in the NBA. They reached a consensus that foresaw him in the mold of Paul George, Kevin Durant and Otto Porter, and then they went about devising a workout plan to train him for it. Knox watched film of Durant and George, studying what reads they made on the court. They then put him on the floor with five or six players, forcing him to make the right decisions himself and to get his ballhandling tighter with multiple players pressuring him.
There is still work to be done for Knox. He can still get his handle tighter, make his reads better and use pace on the pick and roll, but the Knicks are giving him the opportunity now to make it work during games. Quickly, he’s become a fulcrum of their offense, just a 19-year-old rookie getting the room to learn and grow in real time.
And-1s
• Luke Kornet matched-up with Joel Embiid on Sunday and left Madison Square Garden looking good. He finished with 23 points, five rebounds, five assists and as a +25 in 23 minutes in the Knicks’ 108-105 loss to Philadelphia. He’s already hit more 3-pointers this season than he did all of last year as a rookie. He drained three more against the Sixers.
Kornet’s effect on the Knicks’ offense, though, remains muddled. The team definitely plays differently with him on the floor. As of Sunday morning, they shoot 7.2 percent more 3s when he’s on the court than when he sits, according to Cleaning The Glass. The team’s eFG% jumps up by 2.1 percent, and the Knicks average 5.4 more points per play in the halfcourt when he’s on the floor.
But the net effect of Kornet remains negative. The Knicks entered Sunday scoring 3.3 points fewer per 100 possessions with Kornet than when he sits, and they were 7.3 points worse altogether. That number jumped to 5.2 points per 100 possessions when excluding garbage time, according to Cleaning The Glass.
There is no doubt that Kornet changes the complexion of the offense when he plays, but it’s too early to say that he makes the Knicks a better team.
• The Knicks have already started doing some background research on USC guard Kevin Porter Jr., looking to glean some intel on the potential top-10 pick. Not much should be made of this. Teams use the entire year to scout and study up on the prospects preparing for June’s NBA Draft, and it’s likely that Porter is not the only one they’ve already looked into.
• The Knicks, at 10-33, are now in a tie with the Bulls for the second-worst record in the league. Cleveland, the worst, is 8-35. The three worst teams have the highest odds of landing the No. 1 pick, each holding a 14 percent chance.
Mike Vorkunov is a staff writer at The Athletic New York. He has also contributed to the New York Times, USA Today, VICE Sports, and started his career at the Newark Star-Ledger. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeVorkunov.
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Superman is trash, man.
He has no personality, and I feel like Knox also has that in common.
He has no personality, and I feel like Knox also has that in common.
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Superman is the worst superhero in the history of Superheroes
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Son is wild powerful until he sees green goo. Never understood the hype about him
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zion. no one else is even close
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Marvel heroes would wash DC's
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Big fax
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I'm not a Knicks fan by any means but Zion in MSG is just a perfect fit.
He'll end up in Cleveland or like Chicago, watch.
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cheerio mates, pip pip, etc
let's play like theresa may & brexit and take that L
let's play like theresa may & brexit and take that L
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game just started and I already want Tim to be benched.
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Hardaway is so buns man Jesus Christ
