The good news is Kevin Knox has yet to benched by interim coach Mike Miller.
The better news is he’s coming out of his shell — with a renewed focus on defense. After a slow first two quarters, Knox exploded after halftime Tuesday in the Knicks’ 143-120 rout of Atlanta to finish with 17 points. It was his second straight double-figure game after going five straight in single digits.
But Knox said his defensive improvement is what’s on his mind.
“Something I want to get better — I turned it up the last few games, playing with more energy on both sides of the basketball court,’’ Knox told The Post before the game. “Playing with a little more urgency on defense. I want to lock in and get better at it.
“[Former coach David Fizdale] was on me about defense just like Coach Mike is. It’s just my mindset is more on defense now and let the offense come to me. Just about getting stops and rebounding.”
Knox’s offense is starting to come back — with his 10-point game in Denver on Sunday the starting point.
“The big sign for Kevin is he didn’t have a good first half but he had a very good second half,’’ Miller said. “That’s growth.’’
It’s been a bizarre sophomore-jinx-of-a-season for Knox, the Knicks’ 2018 lottery pick who received a slew of second-half benchings from Fizdale, including the first game in which he was held out due to a coach’s decision.
Knox’s scoring average is down to 7.3 points on 37 percent shooting – 32.6 from 3. Part of that can be explained by his minutes reduction. He’s averaging 19.8 minutes per game compared to 28.8 as a rookie.
“If I play hard on defense, the offense will come to me,’’ said Knox, who drained 3 of 7 3-pointers in the second half.
Carrying a reputation among scouts for having a low motor coming out of Kentucky, defense has been his big weakness. During last week’s western swing, Knox made an array of noteworthy defensive plays, blocking two shots on one possession in the victory at Golden State.
“Kevin has been aggressive, made some big-time defensive plays,’’ Miller said.
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