Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson got some love in the 2018 rookie survey

Knicks fans are (justifiably) excited about rookies Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson after the pair’s strong showing in this year’s Vegas Summer League, but now we have the extremely important and scientifically accurate 2018 rookie survey by NBA.com’s John Schuhmann to back up our grandiose expectations for the rooks.

The survey, conducted yearly by Schuhmann at the rookie photo shoot, asks the few dozen rookies in attendance to pick their favorites for some superlatives. Lo and behold, the Knicks were very well-represented this year, proving that Knox and Robinson’s Summer League performances made an impression on their peers.

Knox came in tied for third with Luka Doncic as the favorite for Rookie of the Year with nine percent of the vote, behind first pick Deandre Ayton and Collin Sexton, who each took home 18 percent of the vote. Fret not, though — last year’s Rookie of the Year Ben Simmons and runner-up Donovan Mitchell each only got 5.7 percent of the vote a year ago (Dennis Smith Jr. got a whopping 25.7 percent of the vote in first place).

Knox came in tied for second place in the “Which rookie will have the best career?” category with 10 percent of the vote, trailing only the Bulls’ Wendell Carter Jr. and tied with the Clippers’ Jerome Robinson.

Knox and Robinson got some honorable mentions as well, with Knox popping up in the “best shooter” category, and Robinson in the “biggest steal” and “best defender” spots. (How did Mitch not at least finish in the money for “biggest steal?” I mean, c’mon!)

What’s all of this ultimately good for? Nothing, probably! But it’s a nice change of pace to have a groundswell of support and admiration for some young Knicks. The fact that New York has not one, but two rookies in the national conversation is something I could get used to.