For the first time in over a year, Kevin Knox II took to an NBA floor on Friday against the Sacramento Kings. A blowout 132-108 Golden State Warriors victory afforded the former ninth overall pick three garbage time minutes, and he wasted no time in making the most of his latest opportunity.
Knox confidently knocked down a wing three from a Gui Santos pass, then drove hard to the rim for a layup on the following possession. He also had a couple of nice defensive plays as the Warriors rounded out a perfect start to their post All-Star break slate.
The Warriors need to sign Kevin Knox to a standard deal
It was only three minutes against Sacramento's garbage time unit, but it might have already been enough to prove that Golden State need to sign Knox to a contract for the rest of the season. The 25-year-old -- and Santa Cruz teammate Yuri Collins -- recently signed 10-day contracts with the franchise, yet Knox looks like someone who should be around a while longer.
Many were left impressed by Knox's first minutes as a Warrior, but really it was just an encapsulation of his recent G League form. The 6'7" forward has averaged over 25 points and eight rebounds in the last 12 regular season G League games, having shot nearly 53% from the floor and over 44% from 3-point range.
KEVIN KNOX SZN pic.twitter.com/pBdK0mj5hD
— WarriorsMuse (@WarriorsMuse) February 22, 2025
I need to see more of Kevin Knox. 👀
— Bryan Eglesia (@b_eglesia) February 22, 2025
I need to see more of Kevin Knox. He has impressed me in the few minutes he had tonight.
— Arthur_Grey (@__KOLZ) February 22, 2025
Head coach Steve Kerr stated that he was "so proud of Kevin" after the game, with Knox having had to go back to Summer League and the G League to earn another NBA opportunity following his first six years.
"I think he can help us. He only got in for a few minutes at the end, but you see the talent. I have no doubt that there’s going to be some games where we put him out there and he’s going to help", Kerr told Dalton Johnson of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Those comments from Kerr would suggest Golden State plan on having Knox around beyond his current 10-day contract. The other aspect is that the current free agency/buyout market appears fairly dire, and therefore the chances of the franchise getting someone better than Knox appears pretty slim right now.
It might also be worth the Warriors locking Knox into a non-guaranteed deal for next season as well, giving them the flexibility to have the former Knick under a low-cost team control while not having to be fully committed.