New York Knicks: Top 3 individual performances from the 2018-19 NBA season
The New York Knicks were on a downward spiral this season, with the stakes in the NBA Draft higher than ever since they had a chance to land the next star to grace the NBA, Zion Williamson.
The Knicks were expectedly horrible, finishing dead last in the Eastern Conference and had the worst record in the whole of the NBA, with 17-65. They had a budding superstar in Kristaps Porzingis, whom they traded away in the final days of the trade deadline, so as to get the cap space for offering huge contracts to two established superstars in the free agency.
Even with all of these incidents taking place and sending them plummeting to the bottom, there were still some special moments that the Knicks fans could cherish this season. Without further ado, here are the top 3 individual performances from the players on the Knicks roster for the 2018-19 NBA season:
#3 Kevin Knox against the Philadelphia 76ers at Madison Square Garden
Kevin Knox was drafted #9 by the New York Knicks in the 2018 NBA Draft. Standing at 2.06m (6'8) and with a wingspan of 2.12m (6'11), this small forward was heralded to be one of the stars of the future.
With an explosive and already developed offensive game, Knox was a force to reckon with in the summer league, where he first showed himself off as a solid prospect, making Knicks fans giddy with joy.
His NBA start never took off really, as he struggled to replicate his game in the summer league in the NBA, hitting the proverbial rookie wall early. But his game improved slowly and he was turning in better offensive scoring nights, though his defensive game was not there yet.
Knox had the best game of his young career against the Philadelphia 76ers in the Knicks' 3rd game of the regular season, at the Madison Square Garden. He exploded for a career-high 31 points against star players like Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons and almost led the New York Knicks to an upset win over the 76ers, who lost out in the end, 105-108.
His stat line was an impressive 31 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals, having shot with an accuracy of 52.2% from the field after taking 23 shots. He also buried 4 of his 3-point attempts in 44 minutes on the court in what was his best game in the Knicks jersey in his rookie season.
Knox will look to move forward from a rookie season that was tough for him as he struggled to get used to the rigors of the NBA. The only way is onward and upwards and the Knicks fans will be hoping he develops into a star sooner rather than later.
Final stat line: 31 points, 12-23 FG, 4-9 3FG, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and 4 TOs in 44 minutes in a 105-108 loss against the Philadelphia 76ers