Hometown: Coral Springs, FL
Height: 6'4"
Weight: 183
Position: Point Guard
Team: Kentucky
Class: Freshman
Strengths
Right-handed… The Kentucky freshman is one of the top guards in the nation and is perhaps just behind Duke freshman Kyrie Irving as the top backcourt player in the freshman class… He is a bit more of an undersized shooting guard, with the ability to play some point than he is a pure point guard as some scouts tout him as. What he does best is score the ball, and if that opportunity is not there, he has the vision and instincts to give the ball up to an open teammate. He is a streaky shooter with deep, deep range. He is eager to get the ball out in transition and run up the court, attempting to break down the defense… Knight has a great handle of the basketball, which allows him to get into the lane and get to the rim or pull up for a floater. He is comfortable finishing around the rim with either hand and has the body control to finish in an acrobatic fashion… While his scoring instincts are great, he also understands he can be more dangerous and open up his scoring lanes if he shows the ability to pass the ball and hit teammates. He can be a very unselfish player at times- making a simple pass to an open teammates or penetrate into the lane, draw the defense and then kick to an open wing or dump down to an open big man. He is at his best when he has the ball in his hands, attacking in transition, showing the court vision to hit a streaking teammate or taking the ball to the rim… In the halfcourt setting, he has a quick, long first step to get by his defender, but he also has shown a nice ability to change speeds using a inside-out move or a low crossover…
Weaknesses
Knight's aggressiveness with the basketball may also be his biggest weakness- he has a tendency to force shots, not only in the half court setting, but as he pushes the ball up the court, despite his team holding a 1-on-2 or 3 disadvantage, only to have Knight launch up a 22-foot jump shot. He can be a bit too focused on his scoring opportunities at times… He is just an average athlete; he could get by with his sheer athleticism in high school, but in college and in the NBA, he will need to fine-tune his offensive and defensive areas to succeed…
