Brandon Knight says transition to 6th man role hasn't been easy

Brandon Knight discusses what has been difficult for him in the early going of this season in his new role off the bench for the Suns.

The transition to a sixth man role is always a tough one for an NBA player to make. Not getting announced in the starting lineup, likely getting less minutes and not being able to play with the best talent on the floor are some of the things a player might suffer through when being demoted.

Despite Brandon Knight looking sharp in the preseason for the Phoenix Suns in his new role, the 6-foot-3 guard has struggled to come into his own in the regular season.

“It’s not an easy transition,” Knight told Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. “Definitely trying to stay warm, trying to figure out when and where to attack. Just trying to figure out a routine. That’s the biggest thing. You’ve had a routine over the past five, six years. Just trying to figure out how to be successful within the time you’re playing and how to pace yourself because you can play long spurts as a bench guy.”

Before Wednesday night's 32-point explosion against the Denver Nuggets in a losing effort, Knight seemed uncomfortable and out of place, as his numbers often reflected. The Kentucky product was hitting only 34 percent of his field goals through the team's first 11 games, failing to score in double digits in four of those games.

“Guys just know how to play,” Knight said. “It’s just about being able to get our starters on the same page when we make a sub, whether it’s us coming in the game or coming out of the game or them coming in the game or out of the game. Just that we keep our momentum and our pace and continue to get stops. Once both units play well, it’ll start to pick up.”

Ever since the decision of him to come off the bench was made, speculation about trade rumors started to flare up.

He's been troubled by ankle and sports hernia issues during the past two seasons but said he is doing more with recovery this season by taking daily cold-tub treatments, a thing he'd never done before.

“Injuries can be blessings because it teaches you weaknesses and things you have to do to remain healthy,” Knight said. “I’ve learned those things coming to Phoenix.”