Fansided

Brandon Knight to miss entire season following ACL tear

By Brendon Kleen

PHOENIX, AZ - FEBRUARY 13: Brandon Knight #11 of the Phoenix Suns drives the ball past Langston Galloway #10 of the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half of the NBA game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on February 13, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
PHOENIX, AZ - FEBRUARY 13: Brandon Knight #11 of the Phoenix Suns drives the ball past Langston Galloway #10 of the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half of the NBA game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on February 13, 2017 in Phoenix, Arizona. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

Following years of inconsistency and frustration in Phoenix, shooting guard Brandon Knight will miss the entire 2017-18 NBA season after tearing the ACL in his left knee during a charity game in Florida. The 25-year-old is entering the third season of a five-year deal he signed in the summer of 2015.

After a trade sent him to Phoenix at the trade deadline in February 2015, Knight immediately struggled with injury. However, once the 2015-16 season started, the combo guard thrived under coach Jeff Hornacek.

That season, he scored nearly 20 points per game, shot 34 percent from three and posted play-making numbers close to his Milwaukee numbers. Injuries unfortunately stole the end of that year as well, and the season ended with a coaching change for Phoenix.

Last season, Knight came into the season as the team’s sixth man; Coach Earl Watson even claimed that Knight had the potential to win the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year award. He went on to appear in only 54 games for the Suns before injuries and a tank job in Phoenix led the team to bench nearly all of its veteran players.

Following the departures of veterans Leandro Barbosa, Ronnie Price and P.J. Tucker this summer, there appeared to be a renewed opportunity for Knight to find minutes for the Suns. Now, an ACL tear forces Phoenix to consider the possibility that Knight’s body is a permanent concern.

The veteran guard will have no pressure to return until next September, when camps start for the 2018-19 season. At that point, Knight will have two seasons left on his contract to prove his value and health to Phoenix. There is also a chance now that the Suns move on from Knight, either by waiving him using the stretch provision or via trade.

Next: Every NBA team's biggest celebrity fan

Meanwhile in Phoenix, the injury gives the organization a chance to devote even greater resources to its young core. Even when he was on the court last season, Knight was still less valuable than a young player like Derrick Jones Jr. or Tyler Ulis.

Home/Phoenix Suns