The New York Knicks are young.  When was the last time fans uttered those words?  I’m not quiet sure, but it is certainly something different. The Knicks drafted 18-year-old Kevin Knox out of Kentucky and the fans in attendance were not pleased. Boos and chants of “Michael Porter Jr.†rained down as Kevin Knox walked across the stage to shake the hand of commissioner Adam Silver.  The new regime in the front office have decided to take on a younger approach when it comes to trying to rebuild the Knicks.  Fans should be rejoicing and not booing.
Why Knox was a great pick:
Kevin Knox was a good pick for the Knicks. Why?  Because he’s young. The Knicks need to do something different.  All of those ‘quick fixes’ and hoping that a big name free agent comes to New York is not in the cards for us, at least not this season. Something different needs to start happening. The only good thing Phil Jackson did was drafting young players in Kristaps Porzingis and Frank Ntilikina. Thankfully, it has continued under the watch of new General Manager Scott Perry with drafting Knox.
There is nothing wrong with going with a younger player these days, that is what the NBA is, young talent. The Knicks finally realized their wrong doing in the past and decided to change their approach. New York has taken a page out of the Golden State Warriors playbook and begun to build their team through the draft. Pairing 18-year-old Knox with 19-year-old Ntilikina and a 22-year-old Porzingis is a major step in the right direction. Yes, Porzingis is coming off a ACL injury, but we’ll see him again. The pairing of Knox and Porzingis is what fans should be excited for in the future.
Will Porzingis be able to return to 100%?
We all know what Porzingis is capable of.  It will be a little different with him coming out of that knee injury and seeing if he can return to his former superstar self.  With today’s rehabilitation programs, I think he will be something similar to what we have seen in the past. Anyway, even with Porzingis out, youth development is what Knicks fans should be looking forward to. The injury requires a minimum of six months to return back to physical activity. There are rumors that he could miss up to the All-Star break or beyond. We could even make the argument that Kristaps is better off missing the entire season to allow Knox to develop and to avoid any further injuries to the Knicks’ star player.
With Porzingis out, this is the time for Knox and Ntilikina to show their potential.  Someone is going to have to step up and show that they can fill that void that we lost when Porzingis went down. Knox is going to get his chance under new head coach David Fizdale.  Fizdale hasn’t ruled out Knox starting as a rookie and truthfully, why not. If the Knicks front office was so thrown away by his ability during workouts then toss him into the fire. Trust me, it can’t get any worse.
Letting Knox get ample amount of time as a rookie will only better himself for the future. Does he need work in areas?  Yes, mainly defensive rebounding. But, what rookie doesn’t need improve in certain areas. The Knicks are going to need a player that can step in a fill in for Porizingis until he is able to return to action. Knox has the size, wingspan, and offensive capabilities to be that player.  I’d rather start them young and let them learn from there mistakes so they can grow and develop into a better player.  If he is given that chance, then with Porzingis returns, the team of Porzingis and Knox could be a dynamic duo in the back-court.
Knox already has a chip on his shoulder. To be honest, being booed was blessing, even though no 18-year-old should be booed when drafted to an NBA team. Knox even said that him and Porzingis have bonded over both being booed when drafted. That is something that all Knicks should want to hear, the young rookie and our superstar have already bonded. Knox is now going to come to the team with that edge and desire to show the fans of New York that he was the right pick. Â He is going to want to be that player that we pair with Porzingis to make the future bright for our New York Knicks.