Brandon Knight is Finally Looking Healthy in Cleveland

Former Kentucky guard Brandon Knight hasn’t been the same since a string of leg/knee injuries beginning in 2015 hampered his on-court ability.

After going through his first healthy offseason in roughly two-to-three years, the Cleveland Cavaliers veteran is finally feeling like his old self and the players and coaching staff are taking notice. He’s been a standout at Cavs’ forward Kevin Love’s pre-camp workouts in New York.

In an interview with Chris Fedor of cleveland.com, Knight says that he finally feels comfortable for the first time in over two years.

“I just try to be myself. I think I stood out just because people haven’t seen me, like the actual me, in over two years,” Knight told cleveland.com. “I was really just myself and I think I shot the ball well. I think that’s one of my strengths. I’ve been working on my body a lot, being quick, being explosive. From what guys saw at the end of the year I think that’s what guys probably thought they would see coming into the year.”

Knight spent most of last season on the Houston Rockets, but knee soreness limited him to only 12 games. He was traded to Cleveland in February, where he appeared in 27 games for the Cavs, making the starting lineup for the final 26.

In those games, Knight averaged 8.5 points and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 41.3 percent from the field and 37.1 percent from three alongside rookie guard Collin Sexton.

Heading into the 2019-20 season, the Cavs have a loaded backcourt after drafting Vanderbilt product Darius Garland with the fifth overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. Knight will join Sexton, Garland, Jordan Clarkson, Matthew Dellavedova, and rookie Kevin Porter Jr as the guards for this year’s Cavaliers squad.

Knight has finally started to look like the player that was averaging nearly 20 points per game alongside Eric Bledsoe when the two played for the Phoenix Suns back in 2014-15. Not having to deal with constant rehab throughout the summer has allowed him time to work on his game and grow on the court.

“I feel like I’m there. Or even a little bit better,” Knight continued, according to cleveland.com. “A little bit smarter, my pace is a little bit better, so I feel good. It’s still early. Just trying to maintain that throughout the season and just trying to stay on top of doing the right things for my body.”

In the same article by Fedor, he reports that Knight’s minutes restriction from last season might be lifted.

Knight is still only 27 years old; on the cusp of entering his “prime” years in the NBA. If there were ever a time for him to hit his stride, it would be now. While the Cavaliers are expected to sit near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings this year, it means Knight will have plenty of minutes to experiment with and work his way back into form. But it also means Knight could be used as a potential trade chip, especially if he plays well through the first few months of the season. The Cavaliers have been in the business of acquiring as many assets as possible over the last year-plus and will likely continue that into the future.

The Cavaliers new head coach, John Beilein, formerly the coach of the Michigan Wolverines, has installed an offense that Knight said mirrors the sets he ran during his impressive season under John Calipari at Kentucky. That version of Knight was arguably one of the best point guards Lexington has seen in decades. Eight years later, we might finally get a glimpse into the actualized version of the player that was once drafted as the eighth overall pick in the NBA Draft.