In 2018, NBA Summer League stud Kevin Knox was heralded as a future NBA star.
Three years later, Knox will return to Las Vegas not as a star but as a broken player.
Ian Begley of SNY reported that Knox asked the New York Knicks to include him on their Summer League roster.
He wants to play and repair his shattered confidence after bottoming out last season.
Knox will be the longest-tenured player in the Knicks’ Summer League roster and will be playing for the third time in the last four years. There was no NBA Summer League last year due to the pandemic.
In the 2019-20 Summer League, Knox averaged 16.8 points per game after making it to the All-NBA Summer League First Team in 2018, where he posted eye-popping numbers: 21.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists over four games.
Joining Knox in the squad are incoming sophomores Immanuel Quickley and Obi Toppin, who jumped ahead of him in the rotation last season. Rookies Luca Vildoza, Quentin Grimes, Miles McBride, pick-and-stash Rokas Jokubaitis, and Jericho Sims will also make their Knicks debut.
The 20-year old Jokubaitis agreed to play for the Knicks this summer, but he’s expected to return to Europe to play for Barcelona next year.
Meanwhile, Vildoza’s arrival in Las Vegas is contingent on Argentina’s quarterfinal game against Australia Tuesday in the Tokyo Olympics.
If Argentina wins, Vildoza will have to stay in Tokyo until the medal round on Saturday. If they flame out, Vidoza will fly out Wednesday to rejoin the Knicks.
The NBA Summer League opens on Sunday with the Knicks scheduled to play the Toronto Raptors.
Rounding up the roster are NBA free agents trying out for Training Camp spots: Justin Patton, Reid Travis, Wayne Selden, Quinton Rose, MJ Walker, Tyler Hall, and Aamir Sims.
Here’s the Knicks’ NBA Summer League broadcast schedule (all in Eastern Time):
Aug. 8 vs. Raptors 4:30 pm ESPN2
Aug. 11 vs. Lakers 10 pm ESPN2
Aug. 13 vs. Pistons 8 pm NBA TV
Aug. 14 vs. Cavs 8 pm NBA TV
Follow this writer on Twitter: @alderalmo
More must-reads: