Getty Brandon Knight shows emotion in a Christmas Day game between the Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz.
A player who’s had an extremely interesting career, Brandon Knight has spent the last three games with the Dallas Mavericks. The No. 8 overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft may not have lived up to expectations, but he’s still got something left in the tank at age 30.
The nine-year veteran was recently signed to a 10-day hardship contract with the Mavericks having so many players in COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
Through 449 career games, the guard has averages of 14.0 points, 4.0 assists and 3.1 rebounds per contest. He’s notched 349 career starts and has converted on 35.3% of his 3-point attempts.
Earlier this week, Knight had one of his best NBA games in recent history with the Mavs.
Could he be a piece Dallas tries keeping around longer term? What does Knight bring to the table?
Knight’s NBA Career
A lottery pick roughly a decade ago, Knight showed the potential early in his NBA career that he could be special. In fact, he made the 2011-12 NBA All-Rookie Team. From there, he’d go on to develop into an electric scorer, averaging nearly 20 points per game at the peak of his career.
However, due to a variety of injuries, Knight hasn’t been a consistent player since 2018. He’s bounced around several teams, never finding a consistent role.
GettyFormer first-rounder Brandon Knight inked a 10-day hardship deal with the Dallas Mavericks.
The recent stretch of games he’s played with the Mavericks is actually the first real action he’s gotten since the 2019-20 season, when he split time between the Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Regardless, Knight is still very talented and just recently turned 30 years old. If he’s able to continue playing well in Dallas, a return to the NBA on a more permanent basis could be in his future.
Success in Dallas
Through three games with the Mavericks, Knight has averaged 10.0 points, 2.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds per contest. This has been extremely efficient production, as he’s only played 18.0 minutes and attempted just 6.7 shots per game.
His most impressive outing was on Tuesday night against the Portland Trail Blazers, where Knight produced 18 points and five assists in 24 minutes. This was his highest-scoring game since early 2020.
A full circle moment for Brandon Knight. This is why we love sports.
Knight recently spoke to Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, discussing what his time in Dallas thus far has been like.
“The emotions were high to have gone through this journey. I don’t care how it happened. The fact that I was able to put on an NBA jersey was more humbling than anything. Some tears came out of my eyes,” said Knight.
He has been reunited with Jason Kidd, who currently coaches the Mavericks, but also coached Knight when he was with the Milwaukee Bucks.
“I know my own journey and how tough it’s been. We all have stories,” Knight told HoopsHype. “This is all we know and how we take care of our families.“
In what’s been a refreshing experience, Knight has said this entire process has felt like getting drafted all over again. Grateful for the opportunity, he’s ready to do whatever the team needs from him.
“Whatever they need from me, whether it’s coming off the bench, not playing at all, cheering, getting water, I’m here for it,” said Knight last week.
Kidd says Mavs will have “hard decisions” upcoming in terms of what to do with the roster when players return from health and safety protocols. Is Knight worth another 10-day contract? Could he be someone the team tries keeping around longer term?
To this point, he’s been a solid contributor and is someone to keep an eye on, whether it’s the Mavericks or another team that continue to explore what Knight can offer.