Are any of the Kentucky basketball players headed for the NBA Lottery?
By Drew Koch
Kevin Knox
Kentucky’s Kevin Knox has been called Kentucky’s best player. The 6’9″ forward from Tampa, Florida was the No. 11 ranked player in the class of 2017 by 247sports.com. Knox started out like a ball of fire. He scored in double figures in the first 8 games of the season for the Wildcats. In those 8 games, Knox averaged 16.6 points per game and shot 42% from downtown. Knox was the unquestioned best player for the Wildcats to open the season.
Then, when the lights were at their brightest in Madison Square Garden against Monmouth, Knox had his worst performance of the season. Scoring only 4 points and committing 7 turnovers in the Citi Hoops Classic, Knox had a performance he’d love to forget.
Knox bounced back with a 21-point outing against Virginia Tech and the freshman phenom looked to be back on track. Turnovers plagued Kevin again in the following game against UCLA. He scored 15 points, but his 4 turnovers were a contributing factor in Kentucky basketball’s loss to the Bruins in New Orleans.
The next 5 games offered a roller coaster of production from the freshman. In some games, like against LSU, Knox looked great. Against the Bayou Bengals he racked up 16 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. But against Tennessee, Knox was 1-of-9 from the field, was saddled the entire game with foul trouble and scored only 6 points. Kentucky’s last two games have shown us the type of player Kevin Knox can be. In the past two contests, he’s averaging 19 points, 6 rebounds and only 1 turnover.
Knox is a very talented player and probably the best overall player Kentucky has on their roster. However, his outside shot is streaky at best. He’s shooting only 30% on the season from behind the arc and the NBA is predicated on forwards knocking down open three-pointers. Knox’s game will translate well to the NBA, but he needs to become more consistent.