4. Kevin Knox
I am not afraid to admit when I am wrong in my analysis of a player. Nobody in the sports world (media, fans, or teams) bat 1.000 when it comes to player evaluations and if we cannot admit we are wrong, we are doing our audience a serious disservice. I absolutely believe in that.
I was one million percent wrong about Kevin Knox and what the Lakers should have done with their Taxpayer’s Mid-Level Exception. I was so wrong that I legitimately think that you can hang this wrong take in the Louvre. It is that bad.
Knox signed a two-year, $6 million contract with the Detroit Pistons this summer and I thought it was a massive missed opportunity. At the time, it seemed like the Lakers’ best bet was to split up the MLE money among two or more signings, with Knox being the main reason why. The team could have gone with Knox and someone like Mike Muscala, for example.
Everything that has happened since has proven me wrong. Lonnie Walker has been great for the Lakers this season and genuinely looks like a great use of the MLE. Meanwhile, Knox has played absolutely horrendously and might be playing his way out of the league.
It is early in the season but it is not like Knox had that much value before this season. The former ninth-overall pick is averaging only 7.8 minutes per game and has been so bad in those minutes that is breaking the scale.
Remember how there are 352 players with 75 minutes? Knox ranks dead last in BPM among those 352 players at -12.1! That is 2.4 points lower than the next worst player… Kendrick Nunn.