2011 Draft Profile - Brandon Knight

I have been evaluating Knight since his freshman year of high school and have seen the maturity process of his development as a star. He has a very high work ethic and has the killer instinct of an assassin. A big time scorer in his prep career but is now struggling to adapt to being a pure lead guard at Kentucky but is slowly making the transition as the season progresses. For such a smart kid, Knight makes a lot of silly turnovers forcing the issue at times but understands what it takes to win games.

With that said, he knows his main strength is shot making and he is one of the best in SEC Conference in that department. A huge shot maker and shot taker that has the ability to score in bunches and has the Kentucky freshman record for most 20 plus points game in a season. His ability to shoot it from deep is what separates him from John Wall, but doesn't have Wall's elite athleticism. He is very good at changing pace with the dribble and shows a solid first step while attacking.

Knight has an improve physique and shows confidence in throwing his body into defenders. He can sometimes become trigger happy which can be a blessing or a curse, and needs to improve the nuances of the point guard position before making the leap to the NBA. He is more suited for being a combo guard in the resemblance of Jeryd Bayless.
Player profile submitted by: Monta Williams of Blueprintscouting.com

High ability level and great scorer, can fill it up from all over the floor. A true lead guard, is very comfortable taking over the game with the ball in his hands. Knight can take it off the dribble and finish at the goal, he can pull up mid range or from deep, or score in transition. Knight has great quickness, and good strength and overall athleticism to do a lot of things, also comes with a great shooting touch so he doesn’t need a lot of separation to get off a good shot. Since he is so dangerous he is also able to get good looks for his teammates and put up the assist numbers of a pg. He has great conditioning and an abundance of confidence.

I compare him similarly to Oj Mayo with a better reputation of character. He has great competitiveness and confidence, and a natural scorer first, pass second player. Like Mayo, Knight’s scoring ability has not allowed him to develop true pg abilities, also he has not worked off the ball enough to be a true sg and doesn’t have the ideal height for that position either. There is no doubt Knight’s scoring abilities can translate to the NBA at either guard position, but like Mayo, he may have a difficult time finding an NBA team willing to give him the freedom he is used to. I can see him being a Gilbert Arenas (in his prime) superstar, or a shoot first pg that struggles to find his nitch like Mayo. He could assert himself better in the league by committing to be a very good defender, and he has the athleticism to do so. Although his aspirations may be higher, but Knight could be a dynamic 6th man that comes in to take over the game in spurts like a Jason Terry or Jamal Crawford.
Player profile submitted by: Tom Patterson

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