Kevin Knox is silencing the Knicks fans who booed him on draft night

When the New York Knicks selected Kentucky standout Kevin Knox with the ninth-overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, fans in attendance at Barclay’s Center showered their newest player with boos, just like they did Kristaps Porzingis in 2015. But in his interview immediately after putting the Knicks hat on, Knox said he would use those booing fans — the fans who wanted New York to select Michael Porter Jr. instead — as motivation to get to work.

And with a few impressive Summer League games under his belt, New York’s rookie forward has put the city on notice.

And, yes, many have made the mistake of dubbing a player a success in July, only for the same rookie to fall flat on his face in November. But Knox has shown many, many qualities of a player who will have staying power — dare one say star power — in this league for the foreseeable future.

Through three summer league games, Knox is averaging 23.3 points, leading all rookies and trailing only Lakers’ second-year man Josh Hart and Hawks’ sophomore John Collins entering Wednesday night. He’s been aggressive — at times to a fault — getting up more field goal attempts than any other player after Tuesday while shooting just 39 percent from the field.

But it’s been the versatility of Knox’s offensive attack that has Knicks head coach David Fizdale salivating at the possibilities of the immediate future of this New York franchise. The Knicks’ rookie struggled from deep early on from, making just three of his first 14 threes before lighting into the Lakers with a 5-of-7 shooting night from distance on Tuesday.

Several of those threes came via a 16-point third quarter against the Lakers, where Knox showed he can catch and remain on fire for some time.

Knox isn’t all triples either. At 18 years old and 6’9, the Kentucky product is a springy athlete who can get up and at the rim with ease. He also has shown a quicker first step off the dribble than many anticipated.

Knox isn’t without his flaws. Eleven turnovers in three games isn’t a pretty stat, and his performance against the Lakers cooled off significantly in the fourth quarter, when Los Angeles subbed in its starters, several of whom had a year of NBA experience. And even though his first step is quick, at times, Knox struggled while putting the ball on the floor.

New Knicks general manager Scott Perry told beat reporters not to jump the gun and don Knox the real deal in August. Yes, there are encouraging signs, but it’s not against the best players on the planet yet.

“I think it’s way too early to make an assessment after two summer-league games,’’ Perry said. “You have to measure it. Excitement or disappointment? Do we see encouraging things? Yes. But we know these aren’t the guys they’re playing against or not playing against in the fall.’’

But with Porzingis expected to miss a good chunk, if not the entire 2018-19 season recovering from his torn ACL, Knox’s play has given Knicks fans something to look forward to this year.

It’s also given Knicks fans a sigh of relief. At least for now, it appears New York has hit on its draft pick. The city can sleep easy. Of course, that is, until the regular season begins.