Know any NBA team that could use a versatile, young, talented, athletic combo forward?
All of them.
Some will get their chance to add one in the draft with Kentucky freshman Kevin Knox.
Knox:
Knox will probably be a first-rounder, and he has a decent chance of going in the lottery.
Michigan State’s Jaren Jackson is the only player younger than Knox – who’ll still be 18 on draft day – likely to get picked ahead of him. It’s important to keep Knox’s youth in mind when evaluating him.
The 6-foot-9 Knox is fluid with good ball skills. He can score in a variety of ways, and that’s primarily what he did at Kentucky, though less efficiently than ideal. He didn’t put his athleticism to good use in all-around areas like rebounding, defending and passing. His underwhelming work as a rebounder and defender is particularly concerning if he becomes a power forward, the position where his upside his highest.
Seeing Knox as a productive NBA player takes a good deal of projecting. Considering his age and tools, that’s OK.