Good Knight, Brandon.

Mar 18, 2014; Portland, OR, USA; Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Knight (11) shoots a jump shot over Portland Trail Blazers guard Mo Williams (25) in the first half at Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

Farewell, Brandon Knight.

I joked in an earlier article that the Bucks had entered the Miles Plumlee era due to the Bucks finally having a true center, but there was a real era in Milwaukee that did end just before 2 PM central time on Thursday.

The Brandon Knight era has come to an end in Milwaukee.

Brandon Knight is not exactly a Milwaukee legend, but he has been the key member of the Bucks for the last season and a half. That year and a half contained one of the worst seasons the Bucks have ever had as a franchise, and also one of the best first halfs the Bucks have ever had as a franchise (or at least in the last three decades).

That’s who Brandon Knight is.

Half of the time Knight makes you shake your head and sigh. He’d use his incredible speed to try and get around a defense only to stumble past an opposing player and accidentally hand them the ball. He’d see Khris Middleton, one of the best shooters on the team certainly and possibly in the entire NBA, wide open and elect instead to take a deep three with 15 seconds left on the shot clock.

This is the guy who recently shot 2-for-12 against the Nets in a close Milwaukee win. The same guy who leads the Bucks in turnovers. “Oh Brandon..”

But the other half of the time was electric. Knight could make a beautiful pass when he wanted to, even if he lost several of them along the way. And when he’s on, his shooting is lights-out. This is the guy who dropped 37 points on 60 percent shooting against the Lakers last season. The same guy who leads the Bucks in points and assists and is second to only Middleton in steals. “Oh, Brandon!”

This is probably the most Brandon Knight play ever. Knight makes the steal and takes the ball back by himself with just a few seconds left on the clock in a tie game and misses the layup.

And then he goes and makes the overtime game-winning shot. That’s classic Brandon Knight.

Knight will always hustle. He’ll never bash his teammates or coaches. And he’ll probably never be a great player in this league. But damn it he’ll always be one of my favorite players to watch in the NBA because he’s not bad or good, because he’s ambiguously talented. It’s like watching a redemption story every single night, and a lot of times Knight does find a way to redeem himself before the end of the game.

After writing about the Bucks’ for about half of this season and watching Knight for as long as he’s been a Buck I still feel like I have no idea about him. There are some irrefutable facts, of course.

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He’s gotten better every year. His shooting percentages and assist numbers have steadily gotten better and better.

He likes the clutch shot. He’s said as much and he’s made them before and he will make them again, in Phoenix.

That might be all I know for sure. I don’t know what his position is with 100 percent certainty. I’ve written three articles solely about Brandon (two of them devoted to that question) and I still don’t know.

I don’t know what his ideal role is either. In Milwaukee he’s been the first option for most of his time here, and it’s gone okay. In Phoenix he most likely will not be the first option, and I have no idea if that’s a blessing or a disaster waiting to happen.

I think that’s part of the fun of Brandon Knight too. You never really know who or what to expect, you just know that well it’ll be fun. And it has been. I can’t speak for all Bucks fans, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the Brandon Knight era. It brought us Giannis Antetekounmpo and Jabari Parker and now Tyler Ennis and Miles Plumlee and Michael Carter-Williams.

Kentucky basketball: Top 5 point guards in John Calipari era
Kentucky basketball: Top 5 point guards in John Calipari era

Wildcat Blue Nation

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  • Also, I’d like to use just a little bit of this space to remember a different point guard named Brandon. Brandon Jennings, famous proclaimer of  “Bucks in 6” and overall savior of the franchise. He saved the Bucks not by his brash prediction or his decent play for the team, but instead for what Milwaukee received in return for him.

    Brandon Jennings was traded to the Pistons for Brandon Knight and Khris Middleton.

    Now Brandon Knight has been traded to the Suns for Michael Carter-Williams, Miles Plumlee and Tyler Ennis.

    For better or for worse, the current Bucks roster is built largely on the players Milwaukee received for selling off it’s two Brandons.

    But the more recent Brandon was even more important.

    He also saved the franchise, but his contributions were on the court. Brandon Knight brought fans to the games. He brought excitement with his constant hero-ball and clutch/un-clutch antics. The fun factor cannot be understated. The BMO Harris Bradley Center is as loud as its ever been this season, and that’s owed largely to Knight’s very flawed playing style.

    Brandon Knight carried the Bucks this far, and now has given the Bucks the perfect opportunity to step forward as a franchise. There are more Bucks fans now than ever. The team has buzz not just in Milwaukee (where I see more Bucks gear than ever before in my two decades spent in the city) but around the league. The team is young and talented and so is the coach.

    The future is bright, and it seems to belong to the Bucks. But next year, this time when the Bucks might be seriously looking at a deep playoff run, don’t forget who got the team this far.

    Don’t forget Brandon Knight. Because he’s the hero

    Gotham

    Milwaukee deserves, but not the one it needs right now. So we’ll trade him and say he’s not a point guard, because he can take it. Because he’s not our point guard. Not anymore.