Kentucky basketball: What’s wrong with Kevin Knox?
By Drew Koch
Kevin Knox has had a rough stretch recently. What’s wrong with Kentucky’s star freshman?
Kevin Knox has not been himself lately. Saturday’s loss to Tennessee was just the latest in a string of poor performances from Knox. Big Blue Nation keeps waiting for him to snap out of it. Can he overcome his recent slump and get back to the player that the Kentucky basketball team needs him to be?
Earlier this season, Knox was the unquestioned MVP for the Wildcats. He has all the physical tools you look for in a future NBA talent. He’s 6’9″, 215 pounds. His dad played professional football for the Arizona Cardinals, so you know that he has elite athletic ability in his DNA. He was a top 10 pick in most 2018 NBA mock drafts. Kevin Knox was on top of the world.
Knox’s decline started in NYC
The trip to New York City to play Monmouth was where it started to go south for the Tampa, Florida native. Knox had a poor showing in the Citi Hoops Classic, scoring only 4 points and committing 7 turnovers. The Cats, however, dominated the Hawks and won the game 93-76.
The following game against Virginia Tech saw Knox rebound nicely from his poor performance in the Big Apple. Knox scored 21 points, knocked down 2 three-pointers and grabbed 5 boards. In the next game against UCLA, Knox put up 15 points, but had a team-high 4 turnovers.
In Kentucky’s dominant victory over Louisville, played only 17 minutes, missed all 3 shots from downtown and fouled out with over 4 minutes left in the game. Knox finished the game with 8 points. In the nail-biter versus Georgia, Knox again struggled from outside the arc. He was 1-of-4 from downtown and scored only 7 points.
Big Blue Nation finally saw Kevin Knox return to form against LSU when he scored 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. He also knocked down 2-of-3 from outside the arc against the Tigers. Saturday’s loss to Tennessee saw Knox regress again. He was 0-of-5 from three-point range, had 4 fouls and scored only 6 points.
Kevin Knox does not have to be Kentucky’s best player night in and night out in order for Kentucky to win, but he can’t disappear. Knox is too talented to be marred in this kind of unproductive slump. The Kentucky basketball needs to focus on getting him the ball inside or putting him in position to drive the ball to the hoop.
Before playing Monmouth, Kevin was scoring 16.6 points per game and knocking down 37% from behind the three-point line. Since that game, Knox is scoring 6 fewer points per game and his three-point percentage is 27%. For Kentucky to excel in SEC play and beyond, Kevin Knox will have to be the star he was start the season and not the inconsistent player we’ve seen of late.