The Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks are among the NBA's worst teams and are engaged in rebuilding projects due to varying circumstances.
The Cavaliers are rebuilding after losing LeBron James in free agency for the second time, while the Knicks are rebuilding yet again with an eye toward next summer's free agent class.
A pair of intriguing rookies will be on display when Kevin Knox's Knicks visit Collin Sexton's Cavaliers on Wednesday.
While it will be their first meeting in the NBA, Knox and Sexton opposed each twice last season when both were freshmen at Southeastern Conference schools. Sexton averaged 19.2 points on 44.7 percent shooting for Alabama while Knox averaged 15.6 points on 44.5 percent shooting at Kentucky.
Knox's Kentucky team won twice over Sexton's Alabama team last season, getting an 81-71 win on Feb. 17 followed by an 86-63 blowout in the SEC tournament semifinals on March 10. In those games, Knox scored 24 points while Sexton totaled 33 points.
Sexton and Knox were picked eighth and ninth overall in the 2018 draft by their respective teams.
Sexton was drafted with a selection the Cavaliers obtained from the Boston Celtics as part of the Kyrie Irving trade. Knox was picked as the Knicks finished out of the playoffs for the fifth straight season.
Neither team is likely headed to the postseason this season as the Cavaliers are 6-21 and the Knicks are 8-20, but both are getting decent performances from their SEC rookies at times. >> READ MORE
Copyright 2018 by the Associated Press
