First Summer Knox bummer
Kevin Knox had his worst game in front of Kyrie Irving.
The ballyhooed rookie went cold and the Knicks were eliminated from Summer League on Thursday by the Celtics, 82-75, despite a thunderous effort from his mate Mitchell Robinson.
Irving, who will be the Knicks’ free-agent target a year from now, sat courtside and witnessed five turnovers from Knox and 10 missed shots on 15 attempts. His feats of athleticism in Summer League, while utterly impressive, also have to be measured by Knox’s carelessness with the ball. He has 16 turnovers in four games while shooting just 37 percent.
Knox will get one more opportunity in Summer League – a consolation game against New Orleans on Friday – before playing for the first time at the Garden on Oct. 5 in a preseason game against New Orleans.
Irving was in Las Vegas’ Thomas & Mack Center to cheer on his Celtics, but he has not made a commitment to sign long-term with the franchise and will become a free agent next summer (when the Knicks have cap space).
Knox will be an important part of New York’s attractiveness in free agency. If he’s the potential star that this Summer League suggested, the Knicks have something to sell other than The Mecca (an overrated draw) and Kristaps Porzingis, coming off knee surgery.
But as Thursday demonstrated, Knox, 18, has a lot to learn and there will be growing pains. It’s clear he’s not afraid of taking the big shot, but he missed them Friday – including a 3-pointer that would’ve cut the deficit to 2 with less than a minute remaining.
Robinson, on the other hand, built upon his impressive Summer League as the commanding presence in the paint. Looking like a throwback Marcus Camby, the 19-year-old finished with six blocks, 12 rebounds and 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting. The highlight of the game was an alley-oop finish from Robinson off a pass from Knox.
As an aside, Robinson, a center, will make $17 million less than Joakim Noah next season.
The Knicks’ lottery pick from last year – Frank Ntilikina – missed his second straight game with a groin injury. He missed all of Summer League last year with a sore knee.