Through just a handful of games in the NBA summer league, the New York Knicks have opened the eyes of the entire basketball world via the talents of their first and second round draft picks, Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson. Taking a trip back to draft night, the Knicks sat there with the 9th overall pick in front of them and had to choose between a litany of prospects. With the likes of Michael Porter Jr. still available to the Knicks at the 9th spot, many fans were dead set on choosing Porter. Then, moments before Adam Silver walked up to the stage to announce the pick, this happened.
The Knicks selected the young, raw forward out of Kentucky. With the thought of Frank Ntilikina in mind, Knick fans seemed unhappy with the organization yet again going against the grain and choosing a young, raw, prospect.
While a handful of Summer League games is certainly nothing to make a career of, Kevin Knox has already proven to have the potential makeup of a superstar in this league. Just from the eye test we can see that he is long, lanky and so far, has played above the rim as well as outside the three point line with great effectiveness. Through three games, Knox has put up a stat line of 23 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists and about a steal and a half per game. He has opened the eyes of scouts around the league and is, in the early running, looking like the potential steal of the draft.
Alongside Knox is another raw prospect in Mitchell Robinson. Robinson was drafted in the second round by the Knicks and is, in turn, the final piece given up by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the trade that sent Carmelo Anthony to the Thunder in exchange for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and the pick used to draft Robinson. Much like Knox, Robinson has stunned scouts around the league putting up an impressive 12.8 points, 9.8 rebounds and 3.8 blocks on almost 70% shooting per game. In their most recent game against the Boston Celtics, Knox and Robinson put on a show playing side by side, including this monster alley-oop.
The future is looking bright for the Knicks as of now. Knox and Robinson should see a ton of rookie playing time in the upcoming season. And while they may not be contenders in this upcoming season, their goal should be to establish a foundation around Kristaps Porzingis and create a very attractive place for free agents to come in the summer of 2019.
