Former lottery pick Kevin Knox II is on his second 10-day deal with the Warriors, but he’s hoping to stick with the team for longer than that, according to Andrew Crane of the New York Post (Subscriber link). Knox suited up for Golden State’s summer team and G League squad to begin this year before his eventual promotion to a 10-day contract.
“*At the end of the day, you gotta put your ego and pride aside and go out there and just do what’s needed, best for you,” Knox said of his time in the G League. “And I think that was the best at the time, me to go there and to get some more reps, more film so the coaches, people around the league can see that I still can play this game.*”
Knox’s role is somewhat limited by the fact that he’s playing on a star-filled roster with playoff hopes, but he’s still working to impress Warriors brass. In his seven games with the team, he’s averaging 4.0 points.
“*I’m just so impressed with the fact that he’s on this path, on this journey and not giving in,*” coach Steve Kerr said of Knox.
Knox’s second 10-day deal runs through Monday. At that time, the Warriors will need to decide if they want to keep him for the rest of the year of extend a 10-day deal or standard contract to someone else. Yuri Collins also signed a 10-day deal on the same day as Knox, but he wasn’t given a second one.
We have more from the Pacific Division:
Second-year guard Brandin Podziemski exited Thursday’s game against Brooklyn in the first minute, heading to the locker room after being seen grabbing his back, Anthony Slater of The Athletic tweets. Podziemski’s return was first listed as TBD, before he was ruled out for the remainder of the game, according to ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk (Twitter link). After the game, Kerr said his back simply tightened up and that the injury wasn’t serious. He’ll be listed as day-to-day moving forward, per Slater (Twitter link).
Suns players and coaches have been happy, but not surprised, that two-way guard Collin Gillespie is contributing to recent wins. In the Suns’ last two wins, he’s totaled 19 points, seven assists and a trio of three-pointers. “I*t just seems like a story in itself, an all-time moment for him and a big moment for our team,” Devin Booker said, per PHNX Sports (Twitter link). “I’ve seen behind the scenes, it’s nothing that just popped up out of nowhere. I don’t think it caught any of us by surprise.” Gillespie spent the first two years of his career on a two-way deal with the Nuggets, missing his first season due to injury, before signing on with the Suns this offseason. “There’s a lot of confidence in him,” coach Mike Budenholzer said, as captured by PHNX Sports. “Collin just has a way, I think all his teammates love him. There’s a toughness, I think the Villanova coaching, the Villanova winning, it’s real.*”
Derrick Jones Jr. is reaching new heights for the Clippers, Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times writes. He’s averaging career highs in points (10.6) and three-point percentage (35.6%) to help keep Los Angeles firmly in the playoff picture. In an exclusive interview with Mark Medina of Sportskeeda, Jones spoke about his role with the team, what he thinks he can improve, the coaching staff and more. “*It’s just me having the same confidence as always,” Jones said of his success with the Clippers. “Whenever my opportunity comes, I go to score, I go to be aggressive or I make a play for somebody else. When I’m always on the floor, I’m always being aggressive and not having any seconds thoughts.*“