Pelicans Rumors: Top 5 New York Knicks assets in an Anthony Davis trade

#3) Kevin Knox

Kevin Knox showed immense potential but also struggled to find consistency as a rookie for the Knicks in 2018/19. Such is completely normal for a 19-year-old kid in the NBA. Knox averaged 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds on 34 percent from the perimeter and 37 percent overall from the field.

Shooting below 40 percent as a rookie is common practice. In fact, Luka Doncic, who is well on his way to rookie of the year honors shot just 42.7 from the field this past season. But when Knox had an offensive rhythm going, he strung together a few marquee games as a rookie that had Knicks fans salivating at the mouth.

He dropped 31 points against one of the premier teams in the east, the Philadelphia 76ers, on 12/23 shooting and knocked down 4 three-pointers in the process. Likewise, he had 11 games of at least 20 points or more for the Knicks in 2018/19.

What’s also noteworthy is the Pelicans rumored interest in the teenager. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s talk about what needs improvement. Knox often forces the issues and disallows the flow of the game to come to him organically. Patience and picking his spots offensively will come with time and repetition.

His playmaking ability needs work. That can be clearly illustrated by his assist numbers or lack thereof (1.1 per game). His defensive positioning and activity should also be a point of emphasis moving forward. However, we’re not going to bring up defensive metrics, he was on a 17 win team, that’s a little unfair and harsh.

In review, the kid is 19-years-old, did we expect a finished product? I mean we can be a little too trigger happy and prematurely label young players “busts”, but Knox has shown he could one day be a great scorer. If Anthony Davis is moved to the Knicks, he’s a very intriguing asset.