Player Recaps: Brandon Knight

This nine-part series takes an extensive look at Skyforce players throughout the 2021-22 season. We will highlight season and career highs, as well as the impact each player made on the court. Next , we dive in with nine-year NBA veteran Brandon Knight.

Knight was one of two Skyforce players this season to earn multiple NBA Call-Ups this season, but his journey started as the team's first round pick in the G League draft (sixth overall) in late October 2021.

From the jump, he immerged at the leader in the locker room and the veteran for a roster of majority rookies fresh out of college.

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Knight averaged 21.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.2 steals per 38.0 minutes in 11 starts during the Showcase Cup.

The season started steady for Knight, who missed the 2020-21 season while rehabbing an injury.

He posted 16-plus points and seven-plus assists in the first five games. He found his footing from his rehab and it showed in Knight's game. He scored 24-plus points in five of the last six Showcase Cup games. In half of those games he secured six-plus rebounds, as well, which helped put his name back on the NBA radar.

Knight posted a G League career-high 32 points on 11-21 FGA (5-9 3PA), four assists and three steals on December 3 versus Fort Wayne.

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It wasn't long for Knight to get the call he had been searching for since 2020. On December 22 against Stockton at the Winter Showcase, he poured in 25 points on 7-19 FGA, and secured four assists.

The next day he was reunited with his former coach, Jason Kidd, and signed a 10-day hardship contract with the Dallas Mavericks.

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To no ones surprise, Knight made the most of his 10-day contract. He appeared in three games and scored in double figures twice, with 18 points on 6-12 FGA and five assists on December 27 against the Portland Trail Blazers.

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Knight returned to the Skyforce in mid-January recharged and focused to help the Skyforce in any way asked of him.

With the signing of Mario Chalmers, Knight moved to the second unit without hesitation and continued his level of play.

He secured games of 27 points on 8-17 FGA (5-9 3PA), six assists and 20 points on 9-17 FGA, four rebounds and four assists on January 18-20.

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A hand injury suffered in Stockton on January 20 would sideline Knight until mid-March. With the G League season ending just two weeks later, most players would have called it a season.

Not Knight. He wanted to be there for the team and with an ascending February, was ready to make the playoff push.

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He returned on March 15 and immediately showed it was worth the wait. He posted 18 points on 7-12 FGA (4-6 3PA) and five assists in just 18 minutes off the bench. He followed that up in Birmingham with 17 points on 7-14 FGA and four rebounds in 22 minutes on March 22.

His selfless, efficient play had the NBA calling yet again. He scored 15 points in 29 minutes against Oklahoma City on March 27 and just two days later, was resigned by the Mavericks on a 10-day hardship deal, where he appeared in two games.

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Despite not being able to make the playoffs with the Skyforce, his gamble, selflessness and hard work paid off, as he was able to get back to the NBA after missing the majority of the G League regular season.  Knight went on to average 4.1 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per 26.3 minutes in 10 regular season games.

He showed the true standards of a professional in his time in Sioux Falls, on and off the court, and showcased how the G League is the premier route for NBA veterans to get back in the league.

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