It’s no secret forward Kevin Knox has studied Kevin Durant’s game to death. But the Knicks’ 2018 lottery pick also has conducted a large amount of homework on Paul George.
Knox said he hopes to get in a gym with George and cull some knowledge this summer. While brilliant southpaw James Harden invades the Garden on Wednesday with the Rockets, George went wild on Broadway during the Martin Luther King Day matinee with a flawless 31 points in 30 minutes to lead the Thunder’s 127-109 romp.
It wasn’t Knox’s afternoon, but it made him more motivated to work this summer with George as they share mutual friends.
“He’s playing terrific basketball right now,” Knox said Wednesday. “He’s one of the three people I watch film on and his everyday movements. Hopefully I’ll get in a gym with him this summer. I’m really close to some people he’s close with.”
According to a source, Knox also watches tape of Klay Thompson, DeMar DeRozan and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
In his second straight low-impact game, Knox scored eight points — logging three points until the final minutes of garbage time. But that didn’t mean he didn’t get something out of the lopsided loss.
Knox’s potential as an inside-outside threat who can deliver 3-balls and driving dunks was embodied by George on Monday. George sank four 3-pointers and was 9-of-9 from the foul line.
“It was definitely cool to play against him, guard him a couple of times and see how smooth he is getting to the basket and finishing,” Knox said. “It was definitely fun to watch, and hopefully I’ll get a workout with him sometime this summer.”
Whether this is the start of a rookie wall or the demanding road schedule NBA commissioner Adam Silver handed the Knicks, the 19-year-old Knox has not looked the same the past two games. He shot just 2-of-11 in London on Thursday against the Wizards at O2 Arena before his 2-of-7 showing against the Thunder.
Multiple Knicks have complained about the unorthodox road schedule, as the NBA bunched together their two-week Western swing with the London sojourn. Tim Hardaway Jr. said it was “pathetic” scheduling.
Without making it an excuse, Knox admits he may have succumbed to the road grind.
“Those trips were very tiring — jet lag, come back from the West Coast and go straight to London and coming back from London and having a game after two days,” Knox said. “That shouldn’t affect how I should be playing. The last two games, my energy has been down, my motor has been down.”
The telltale sign that Knox isn’t right comes when he’s not attacking the boards. He was labeled at Kentucky as having a low motor.
“I got to get back to doing the little things and getting more aggressive on rebounding,” Knox said. “My rebounding has gone down a bit. I got to focus on that and playing a little harder. Getting more rebounds because that shows I’m more into the game. But those last two games, coming back from those trips, it’s been a tough last week with the jet lag and energy. I’ll get back there.”
After winning Eastern Conference’s Rookie of the Month for December, Knox probably won’t get as long a break next month to rejuvenate during All-Star Weekend in Charlotte. The 6-9 forward figures to be named to the rookie-sophomore game.
Knox’s scoring average (12.3) ranks sixth among rookies, and he’s a healthy 35.2 percent from 3-point land.
Undrafted rookie Allonzo Trier also has a chance at a Charlotte nod with a scoring average of 9.9, rating him eighth. Trier is also coming off an eight-assist outing, which is another department Knox could see improvement.
“The last two games he’s been a little out of it,” David Fizdale said of Knox. “I haven’t been able to get him going. I hope to get him jump-started the next game [against Houston].”
The recent unorthodox schedule is part of it, Fizdale says, and he’s glad to see him go through this stretch.
“Some of the guys have to learn the NBA presents a lot of different situations from a game-setting standpoint,” Fizdale said. “You have to learn to prepare for all these things — a 12 o’clock game is different than when you play at 7. How do you do your routine in the morning?
“These are little things we’re teaching these young guys as we go through this. The long flight from New York to London and how you handle it and what you do off the flight. We can’t assume they know it and take it for granted.”