Chicago Bulls should steer clear of Kevin Knox
By Ryan Heckman
While the Chicago Bulls might look to find their three spot of the future, Kevin Knox is a far cry from the type of player they need.
Thursday night, the Chicago Bulls will be looking to change the tides of the franchise. The 2018 NBA Draft gets underway and the Bulls will have two first-round picks to play with. Just where do they go with their first one, at no. 7, though?
Many folks have the Bulls pegged to take one of three players: Trae Young out of Oklahoma, Michael Porter Jr. of Missouri or Mo Bamba out of Texas. Depending on which of those three are available, I’d like to think the Bulls would scoop them up.
One more player, though, has been involved with the Bulls in some recent mock drafts: Forward Kevin Knox of Kentucky.
I’m not going to beat around the bush, here. The Bulls need to stay far away from Knox, no matter what. Why, you ask? Fast forward to about 0:30 on this clip below to get a hint.
Knox has a lot to like about him, so this isn’t me saying he’s going to be a bad NBA player. I think he’ll be fine — but “fine” isn’t what the Bulls are looking for with that high of a pick.
Here are two examples from scouting reports on Knox. You tell me what you think after reading.
From Sports Illustrated:
"“…as he continues to learn and figures out how to impact the game more effectively on a nightly basis, there’s an intriguing ceiling here that’s clearly worth developing.”"
From The Ringer:
"“Takes too many naps on defense, fails to contest shots, keeps his hands by his side, and rarely makes high-impact or timely plays.”"
I don’t know about you, but the last thing I want to bank all my marbles on with the no. 7 overall pick in a draft is “ceiling” or “potential,” especially on a guy who is clearly a one-way player.
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One of Knox’s biggest weaknesses is the fact that he is more lackadaisical on defense that anyone at his position should be. You look around the league and see what kind of star power there is at the small forward position and, my goodness, the last thing you want to be is a bad defender.
At times, Knox seems to get lost in translation a bit on defense. His instincts aren’t where they need to be. The biggest problem with him is this mysterious notion that he’s incredibly athletic, therefore he could be a great defender as a pro. The issue, there, is that he isn’t big enough to guard combo forwards. He’s also not quick enough to defend guards. He’s a bit in between position at times, especially defensively.
Offensively, Knox is known to have a soft touch. Fine. That’s great. But, he appears to use that jump shot far too many times when it’s early on in the shot clock. Settling for jumpers prior to your offense even taking shape is a bad look in the NBA, especially if you’re not making them.
Next: Chicago Bulls Big Board for 2018 NBA Draft
Does he have potential? Sure. Is that what the Bulls should be looking at with the seventh overall pick? Absolutely not. Stay away, GarPax.