Kevin Knox, Knicks Blow Out Trae Young, Hawks 126-107 in Rookies' Debuts

The New York Knicks opened their 2018-19 season with a 126-107 win over Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.

Young, the No. 5 overall pick in June's draft, finished his NBA debut with 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting (1-of-5 from three), five assists, six rebounds and four turnovers.

His lottery counterpart Kevin Knox also crossed the double-figure threshold and posted 10 points (4-of-16 shooting), two steals and a block in 24 minutes off the bench.

Tim Hardaway Jr. paced all scorers with 31 points, including 22 in the first half, as the Knicks rolled to a 1-0 start.

Knox Cut Out to Lead 2nd Unit with Alpha Demeanor

On Tuesday, Knicks head coach David Fizdale announced Knox would come off the bench to start the season after second-year guard Frank Ntilikina proved steadier throughout the preseason.

"I really feel like Frank earned it," Fizdale said, according to the New York Post's Marc Berman. "I feel this will prod Kevin a little and give him something to go after. They both handled it great. Kevin understands what I'm demanding of him. Frank did a great job this preseason of being a multipositional guy."

To his credit, Knox didn't put up a fight. Instead, he announced his intention to embrace the reserve role and all of the responsibilities that come with it.

"Coach wants me to be more aggressive with that second lineup, and be a leader with that second lineup and go from there," Knox said. "I'm not surprised at all. He wants to switch up lineups, and we have so much talent on this team."

In his first taste of NBA action, Knox looked the part of a second-unit stalwart.

Although the No. 9 overall pick left plenty to be desired from an efficiency standpoint—he finished with 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting—he didn't appear tentative in his NBA debut. Instead, he attacked the teeth of the Hawks defense with the determination Fizdale spoke about.

At this early juncture, that's all the Knicks can ask for.

The Kentucky product will get more comfortable operating within the confines of a pro offense with each passing game. It won't be long until he's breaking out his full bag of tricks as a key prong in New York's offense.

Trae Young Must Learn to Overcome Size Limitations to Thrive

Entering the NBA draft, the chief knock on Young was his 6'2" frame and how it would hinder him on both ends of the floor.

On Wednesday, that prognostication was spot on.

The Knicks hunted Young on defense and exposed him through Trey Burke post-ups on several occasions, and it was clear the former Oklahoma standout was overmatched physically when he wasn't guarding straight up on the perimeter.

On offense, Young's lack of size was also evident.

The Knicks made a determined effort to pick up the rangy floor general as soon as he crossed half court, and they did a nice job of flustering him by trapping high ball-screens. Not only did those tactics siphon off key playmaking avenues, but they forced Young into some errant passes since he couldn't see over taller, longer defenders once he picked up his dribble.

It wasn't all doom and gloom for Young, who made a handful of impressive feeds and played a nice two-man game with center Alex Len when he was able to get downhill. Plus, he showed silky touch on his floater.

Like Knox, Young will assuredly find more stable footing as he logs more minutes.

But with teams already in possession of a blueprint to expose his weaknesses, it may be a while before he learns how to overcome his most glaring deficiencies.

What's Next?

The Knicks will head to Brooklyn on Friday for an intracity showdown with the Nets. The Hawks, meanwhile, will head to FedEx Forum and clash with the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.