The Atlanta Hawks have had two blowout losses so far in their first round playoff series against the Miami Heat. This has resulted in Kevin Knox getting junk time minutes which he has managed to put to extremely good use.
In the first game pf the series Knox played just under five minutes and went for ten points. He scored in a multitude of way, going 2-of-4 from deep, 3-of-5 from the floor and 2-of-2 from the line. He also collected two rebounds and a steal. This was very similar to the way that Knox showed how he could help the Hawks in one of the last regular season matchups.
This was no fluke though, Knox came on for junk time in the fourth game of the series. He went for 12 points in just over four minutes including a miracle shot at the buzzer. Knox went 4-of-6 and while the heat was out of the game, no pun intended, this is still a good number. He also had a steal in that time.
Should the Atlanta Hawks be looking at Kevin Knox for next game.
The Hawks lost the fourth game of the series on the back of a 26-4 run which led up to half time. Knox has shown the ability to microwave points and this would certainly help stop a run which is going to be crucial for the Hawks to win games.
If they are struggling at any point during the fifth game of the series then Nate McMillan should look at putting Knox onto the court. This team has shown that they can struggle to stop the Heat when they go on a run. What better way to stop a run than with some fireworks of their own.
Since Knox has come to this team he has embraced his role. His playing time dried up with Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot being preferred over Knox when John Collins was out. Now, given that he is showing such offensive ability he could be a good option to sign at low value this offseason.
The Hawks have a high salary bill for next season but given they are one game from elimination, they are going to beed to change many things this offseason. Knox is a good option for the end of the bench who already knows the Hawks systems and structures.