Friday, June 17th, 2011 at 11:11 am  |  23 responses

Brandon Knight: ‘I’m Trying To Work Out Against Kyrie Irving’

With the NBA Draft nearing, top prospects are doing all they can to boost their stock. Former Kentucky point guard Brandon Knight recently recieved some heat for ‘avoiding workouts’ against other top picks, notably Kemba Walker. But Knight put any rumors of fear to rest on Thursday, stating his true pre-draft goal. From the Salt Lake Tribune:

“Knight strongly feels that he ranks among the most talented athletes in a weak draft class. And after being accused during recent weeks of ducking prospects such as ex-Connecticut guard Kemba Walker during pre-draft sessions, Knight revealed his true aspiration. ‘The guy I’m trying to work out against is Kyrie Irving,’ said Knight, referring to the former Duke point guard widely expected to be taken No. 1 overall by Cleveland. The 6-foot-3, 177-pound Knight asserted that he is a true point guard. He attended Kentucky and followed in the footsteps of NBA stars such as John Wall to learn the position. He then attempted to prove during his Jazz workout that he can excel when commanding a professional team. ‘I was working with all the coaches,’ Knight said. ‘It was pick-and-rolls, spot shots, finishing with my left hand. … Pretty much everything.’ He added: ‘I got a pretty good vibe. Everywhere I’ve been has been a pretty good connection with the team and the coaches. I felt good being in this environment.’ Irving’s confidence was clearly apparent during a post-workout interview, as was his often-discussed intelligence. Knight held a 4.3 grade-point average during high school and was praised by Wildcats coach John Calipari, who highlighted Knight’s work ethic and compared him to Jazz legend John Stockton. ‘I go hard,’ Knight said. ‘I try to take my drills serious, and try to focus and make sure I’m hitting shots. And try and pay attention to detail and pay attention to what they tell me to do.’”

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  • World

    He’s going to be a good point guard but a true one he is not… he lacks vision

  • http://dsfjklf.com Jukai

    Of course, the John Stockton comparison would be better if he could, well, pass.

  • Vince5

    Well I do know he worked out with Kemba in Toronto. As for Kyrie, he doesn’t seem to want working out.

  • Hurricane

    Think about how good these guys could be if they stayed in college for 3-4 years and learned the game! Seems like everybody sells themselves short. Chasing a few bucks, material possessions that mean nothing. Sad.

  • Bimmer

    4.3 GPA eh? Better than straight A’s is possible?

  • kashdef

    @Hurricane, Because that’s not what the NBA wants. It’s almost a cliched way of thinking, sure players like Eric Bledsoe or Josh Selby should play another year, but for players like Kyrie Irving, John Wall, Kevin Durant. Whats the point? The NBA is definitely business and they can’t hurt their “stock” value. It’s like Marshon Brooks at the Draft Combine, dude stayed all four years at Providence and now people question why it took him so long to become the player he is and what his upside is as well, but a better example would be Nolan Smith I don’t think you can question that he doesn’t know the game but obviously no one is going crazy about him…

  • Zack

    Some high school classes carry more weight than others. Like an A in an AP class carries 5 points towards your GPA.

  • Anthony

    how can you say some1 will never be this or that… you dnt know **** .. he could work hard to become a true point guard… he has all the athleticsm….. it just take you to be a willing passer … same goes for evrybody else in the draft…… Hard work makes you a great player not your college stats ..

  • http://slamonline.com Yknot

    @Hurricane ask Brandon Roy if having the opportunity to leave early and make some cash before your knees give out is a good idea! 3 or 4 years of free (for everyone NOT named NCAA) balling makes sense!

  • Pingback: Ironically, Brandon Knight says he wants Kyrie Irving | ProBasketballTalk

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    I never understood why Kyrie Irving was such a much better prospect then Knight. I don’t understand anything about all the Kyrie Irving hype, at all.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    Alls I know is Irving is trying to do everything he can to hold on to that number one spot – avoiding workouts, avoiding the draft combine, etc.
    If you scared, say you scared!

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    lol right

  • http://www.slamonline.com Slick Ric

    I feel you @nbk, I feel like cleveland should draft d. williams and kemba/knight

  • http://slamonline.com nbk

    I think Cleveland should go Williams/Kanter if they know for sure they can get Kanter with the 4th pick. If not I’d go Kanter/Valanciunas

  • http://slamonline.com Allenp

    Honors, gifted and AP classes carry more weight. In some high schools it’s possible to get like a 4.44 GPA with straight As. Of course, most colleges want your “weighted” and “unweighted” GPA to get an accurate assessment of how well you did.

  • http://www.bulls.com Enigmatic

    Regardless, Knight is no dumb jock.
    He had a 4.0 in his one year at Kentucky as well.

  • http://slamonline.com tealish

    And different schools use different scales. Some are on a 4.33 scale, as opposed to a 4 point scale. In any event, 4.3 is fantastic for anyone, let alone for someone who is also gifted athletically.

  • matt

    How are you gonna say you wanna work out against kyrie irving? You duck everyone else and challenge a workout with a player that does not need to and won’t workout against you because it has no benefit for him. What does this mean? It means, that you only challenged irving to put to rest the fact that you were ducking other people knowing that irving is definitely not going to say yes. Nice try bro!

  • http://thetroyblog.com Teddy-the-Bear

    What was the scale for Knight’s school? Because 4.0 means an A average on a 4.0 scale (obviously), which is pretty damn impressive, especially balancing basketball.

  • http://thetroyblog.com Teddy-the-Bear

    4.3 on a 4.33 scale is something like a 3.97 on a 4.0 scale, right? That’s basically all A’s and A+’s, with maybe one A- or a B+. Very impressive.

  • http://slamonline.com cavs fan

    Irving only has to workout for the top 3 teams , it’s his foot that is the issue
    as far as the #1 pick goes , look for D Will , Gilbert – cavs owner is enamored with him
    look for kanter at # 4 – kanter looks mkst polished right now

    look for cavs to deal $$$ to get 2nd 3rd or 7th pick also – with 7th pick , cavs get klay thompson

    i would love fredette in 2nd round

  • Patzilla

    @Cavs fan – your utter lack of punctuation, not to mention your outrageous train of thought, is embarrassing to Clevelanders

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