Why Knox cherishes three deeply meaningful minutes in Warriors-Kings originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
SACRAMENTO – His smile wasn’t going away anytime soon.
Not as Kevin Knox dapped a long line of teammates and tapped them on the chest walking off the Golden 1 Center court Friday night after the Warriors’ blowout win over the Sacramento Kings. Not as he and Kings assistant coach Jim Moran, the man Knox credits with bringing his love for the game back as his head coach of the Rip City Remix last season in his first G League stint, embraced for a long and deeply meaningful hug. Not walking down the tunnel, and definitely not in the locker room.
Knox has scored 30 points five times this season, and he has 19 20-point games to his name. None compared to the five points he scored Friday night.
“That was my best three minutes of the year,” Knox said to NBC Sports Bay Area.
The former No. 9 overall pick in the 2018 draft played his NBA game since Feb. 4, 2024, and scored his first points since Jan. 31 of last year. Not everyone’s journey is the same. Some players need to take turns they never expected, traveling down roads that weren’t in their plans.
For Knox, that meant a trip down the coast to star for the Santa Cruz Warriors this season. Golden State was impressed by his willingness to play for the Warriors’ summer league team and his clear talent and NBA body stood out in training camp, as well as throughout the preseason. They liked him enough to make sure he was part of the program but wanted to see other skills continue to develop and be refined playing for their G League affiliate.
The G League isn’t an easy grind to embrace, especially for a former top draft pick. But Knox, still only 25 years old, did everything the organization asked of him and everything finally paid off in the last few days.
His numbers were undeniable. In 28 games for Santa Cruz this season, Knox was averaging 21.6 points per game on 49.9 percent shooting with a 39.1 3-point percentage, and was grabbing 8.0 rebounds per game. Knox wasn’t only overpowering his competition, he was learning the Warriors’ system and how to succeed combining their style of play and what always has worked best for him.
On Wednesday, the wait finally was over as the Warriors signed Knox to a 10-day contract. On Friday, the third day of his contract, Knox found himself on an NBA court again and didn’t waste any time reminding everyone what kind of player he is.
“So proud of Kevin,” Steve Kerr said. “He’s been through a lot, coming around and committing to his time in Santa Cruz and getting better and improving. 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.”
Happiness radiated off Knox all morning at shootaround and going through his pregame routine. This is his comfort zone. His happy place. Where he belongs.
While the rout was on, Kerr kept some of his top players on the floor to ensure a win coming out of the All-Star break. Draymond Green looked like he was about to walk to the scorer’s table and get back into the game, until Kerr directed him to jog a different way. Green hustled down to the hallway, letting Knox and others know their number had been called.
Knox spent the majority of the fourth quarter stretching, hopping on the bike and doing anything to keep his body warm. With two minutes and 57 seconds remaining and the Warriors leading by 23 points, Knox took off his warmup gear and was in the game. One minute later, Knox caught a pass at the right wing behind the 3-point line from a driving Gui Santos.
No hesitation, just as he has always known. Three points for the Warriors’ newest No. 31. Steph Curry raised his arms up. Every coach clapped, knowing the deep meaning of those three points. Just 19 seconds later, Knox curled off a screen to get downhill, caught a bounce pass and took one dribble to get to the rim for two more points, giving him five points and one rebound in his three minutes of play.
“Those are minutes that a lot of teams are watching, not just here,” Knox said. “The Warriors, Steve, everyone’s watching. Those were three good minutes.”
A 10-day contract is how the Warriors found a gem in Gary Payton II in 2021. Knox wants to stay with the Warriors by signing another 10-day contract and hopefully remaining with the team for the rest of the season. But as well as anyone, he knows the business of basketball.
Every rep and every opportunity is amplified. Every second and every minute matters more. Knox is a bucket, it’s in his blood. Knox also knows everything else is what he needs to do to keep wearing a Warriors jersey, or open enough eyes around the rest of the league.
“We got Steph Curry,” Knox said. “He’s going to put the ball in the bucket already. I think they’re looking for guys to go out there and play defense and just play off him and Draymond, just do it at a high level and efficiently. With my size, my athleticism and my offensive ability, fitting in offensively will be really good, but I think it’s the other end – defending and rebounding – that’s going to be huge for me.”
He might remain in the NBA for a few more days. He might keep his spot in the Warriors’ locker room for the rest of the season. What is a guarantee is that nobody is taking those three minutes or his five points Friday night away from Knox, knowing everything he fought for to make his way back to where he knows he always has belonged.
