Kevin Knox didn’t want to talk about his offense. He didn’t want to discuss his aggressiveness going to the basket or his accurate 3-point shooting.

A season-best 19 points against the Eastern Conference-leading Bucks wasn’t significant to the second-year wing.

But his defense? Now, that’s another story.

“I think I’ve been playing well, because I played better defensively,” Knox said after his three-block, two-steal effort in a 123-102 loss on Saturday night. “That’s just carrying over to my offense. That’s been my mentality the last few games, just really focusing on the defensive end, letting the offense come to me.”

Knox, a lottery pick a season ago who was displaced in the starting lineup this season by Marcus Morris, was benched last month by former coach David Fizdale for his defensive issues. His minutes shrank, with Fizdale demanding more from him at that end of the floor and admittedly riding him because he knew there was more that Knox could give.

In the span of seven games, from Nov. 14 to 27, he averaged just 14 minutes and 4.0 points per game, but Knox didn’t pout. He worked on making sure he wouldn’t spend as much time on the bench, and that was all about the less glamorized end of the floor.

“Just being more urgent on the defensive end, playing with more energy, blocking shots, using my length, contesting shots, getting more steals in the passing lanes, deflections,” the 6-foot-7 Knox said. “That’s been my mentality the last few games. I’m trying to keep that up.”

Lately, he’s seen results. His minutes are up to 20.5 this month, and though he’s scoring only 8.6 points per game on the season, lately he’s turned it on, reaching double figures in four straight games after six in a row in single figures. He was at his best against the Bucks, scoring those 19 points on 4-of-6 shooting from 3-point range. Most impressive to interim coach Mike Miller, though, was the variety of ways in which Knox scored. He attacked the basket when there wasn’t room on the perimeter.

“I really like the aggressiveness he’s playing with,” Miller said. “He’s getting those drives, he’s taking the ball in with the bigs. [The Bucks] are a difficult team with their coverages. There’s a reason they’re the top team [defensively] and they’re good at what they do. There weren’t a lot of openings. He was driving it down there, taking contact and being aggressive. He wasn’t just one-dimensional, where he was looking for perimeter shots. He was moving, he was cutting, shot a couple of floaters.

“I like that, I like to see that versatility. He’s going to continue to score more as he does that.”

More than half of Knox’s field-goal attempts this month are still from beyond the 3-point arc (4.5 of 8.4). But he is attacking more, which will in turn give him more space from deep. It should also make him a tougher cover.

“Just trying to switch it up,” Knox said. “I can score at all three levels. I just have to be able to show it. Getting to the basket, getting to the free-throw line, knocking down 3-point shots when I’m open, getting to my floaters, my mid-range pull-up. Just really trying to show my whole package.”

Lately, that includes defense.

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