Brandon Knight is entering his second year with the Bucks. Credit: Gary Porter

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St. Francis — He's a workout warrior, a young player on a mission to improve.

So please excuse Milwaukee Bucks guard Brandon Knight if he isn't getting caught up in talk about a potential contract extension.

Entering his fourth year in the NBA and his second in Milwaukee, Knight is eligible to sign an extension until Oct. 31. If no agreement is reached the 6-foot-3 point guard would become a restricted free agent next summer.

Bucks general manager John Hammond indicated initial discussions are taking place between the team and Knight's agent, Arn Tellem.

Knight is emerging as a team leader before his 23rd birthday and he vows that will not change, regardless of the outcome of the extension talks.

"My job is to come out here and perform, come out here and play hard," Knight said after the Bucks' morning practice session Wednesday. "So honestly for me, all I'm thinking about is basketball.

"I've got so many things I want to do with this team and so many goals I have for myself and the team, it's something I barely think about."

Knight averaged nearly 18 points and 5 assists in his first year with the Bucks, becoming a bright light in a dismal season.

He hardly let up in the off-season while putting himself through a rigorous regimen in his hometown of Miami. Bucks teammate O.J. Mayo joined Knight for a series of workouts and left impressed.

"If you come to the gym with me and you're not working, you're going to look bad," Knight said. "He knew he had to do it the right way. He's one of my brothers.

"When he comes in the gym with me, I'm not in there to embarrass him. I'm in there to push him, motivate him, inspire him."

There's little question the Bucks value Knight and are interested in a long-term deal. The question is at what price.

The Bucks made a four-year, $32million offer to restricted free agent Jeff Teague in the summer of 2013, but Atlanta matched the offer. That prompted a trade later in the summer that brought Knight and Khris Middleton to the Bucks and sent point guard Brandon Jennings to the Detroit Pistons.

Knight, the eighth overall pick in the 2011 draft, will make $3.75 million this season in the last year of his rookie-scale deal.

Two years ago, several guards in the 2009 draft class signed extensions, including Stephen Curry (four years at $44 million), Jrue Holiday (four years at $41 million), Ty Lawson (four years at $48 million) and DeMar DeRozan (four years at $40 million).

Earlier this week 25-year-old twin forwards Markieff and Marcus Morris of the Phoenix Suns signed four-year extensions of $32 million and $20 million, respectively.

"He's a piece we want here," Bucks coach Jason Kidd said Wednesday, referring to Knight. "You talk about his work ethic, the way he approaches the game, he's a professional, on and off the court.

"I'm not here to get in the way of anyone's success. I want everyone to have the ultimate goal of winning and being financially set. Our job as coaches is to help them achieve that goal."

Knight made it clear in his comments on media day and again Wednesday that he considers himself a point guard, not a combo guard.

"It's my best position," he said. "Point guards have to be able to beat their guy, get in the paint and make the right decision. I can get in the paint at any time.

"So it was just a matter of me making the right decision, whether it be to score the basketball or get guys involved. I know from playing point and being in the NBA the last couple years, that I've improved at the spot. It's not something you just pick up right away."

Knight talked about adjusting to defending the elite point guards and he mentioned Oklahoma City's Russell Westbrook as a prime example.

"He doesn't play the game similar to any guard," Knight said. "He's at full speed and will shoot at 20 in the shot clock. He's aggressive. He might call a play, but he might still try to score."

Knight said his defense is better due to familiarity with the players he is going against and his improved strength.

He studied film for hours during the summer while also getting in top shape. In August the Bucks released a video of Knight making a 60-inch box jump, an impressive piece of athleticism.

"I don't like to broadcast what I do," Knight said. "This is an everyday thing for me."

Knight spent five or six hours in the gym on Tuesday when the Bucks opened camp with a pair of practices. He said he is eager to lend guidance to some of the team's young players.

"I definitely don't have a problem being vocal," Knight said. "I know I have the respect of all the guys."

A hamstring injury hampered him in the preseason last fall, and he suffered a hamstring injury in the opposite leg in the first 2 minutes of the season opener in New York.

"All I need is 5 minutes, and that will be better than last year," Knight said of his Bucks debut. "The first time I touched the basketball, it was done. It will be better this year."

Kidd said the coaching staff "is very confident on him being the point guard" although there still may be times Knight plays off the ball in certain lineups.

There's nothing wrong with a confident, headstrong, stubborn point guard, traits Kidd displayed during a 19-year NBA career at the position.

"All of the above," Kidd said. "You need that for your teammates, so it rubs off throughout the locker room."

Middleton sidelined: Bucks forward Khris Middleton had a cyst removed and missed practice Wednesday.

Kidd said he expects Middleton to be sidelined for several days.

The team will be off Thursday and resume with a single workout Friday. The Bucks will hold a public scrimmage at the BMO Harris Bradley Center at 11 a.m. Saturday followed by a fan fest from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Admission is free.