Fiz sez Knox has to fight way off Knick bench
The Knicks lost to the Sixers, 101-95, after blowing a 16-point lead on Friday night, but Kevin Knox had nothing to do with it.
Instead, head coach David Fizdale opted not to play the No. 9 pick in the 2018 NBA Draft as the Knicks lost their 15th game in 19 outings.
“It was in the spur of the moment,” Fizdale said postgame. “It was the flow of the game, and I just felt like we needed guys who bring speed and motor out there.”
Friday was Knox’s first “DNP — Coach’s Decision” of the season. In the 18 games prior, he averaged less than 20 minutes per game.
For reference, as a rookie, he averaged just under 30 minutes per game.
“By no means is Kevin buried,” Fizdale said. “He’s gonna have to fight his way out, and I’ve got a lot of confidence that he will.”
The Knicks’ roster is nothing like the one that tied the worst record in franchise history with a 17-65 finish last season. That is part of the concern for this team. The Knicks added talent to the roster in free agency, yet they’re on pace to finish with 19 wins on the year.
That’s unacceptable conditions for everyone involved: players, coaches and the front office.
It didn’t help Knox’s case that the front office loaded up on players at his position over the summer. Marcus Morris has to get minutes, and so does Julius Randle. So do both Taj Gibson and Bobby Portis, two veterans who play the power forward and center positions interchangeably.
Knox said Fizdale didn’t talk to him about the decision to leave him on the bench.
“It was just kind of on the fly,” he said. “But it was coach’s decision. You’ve got to respect it. I’m just going to continue to work, continue to get better. And whenever
my name is called I’m going to be ready.”
There’s precedence under Fizdale for players who get benched. Last season, Frank Ntilikina only played in 47 games and found himself in the pine often.
This season, he’s become the starter in place of the injured Elfrid Payton, and his improvement on the offensive end of the ball may help him keep the spot for the season.
Knox says he can get better even if he’s not getting in-game reps, pointing to Morris, Randle and Gibson as vets who talk him through game time scenarios.
He also knows the reason he’s been playing fewer minutes this season is because of defensive deficiencies.
“I knew that mistakes were going to be limited, so I’ve just got to be able to watch as much film as possible, be able to get better defensively, so when the game comes I don’t make those mistakes,” Knox said.