Summer League Roundup
It was a busy weekend for the Summer Knicks.
Good morning, and hello from Las Vegas! It’s been a great trip for your boys at Knicks Film School, even if the basketball hasn’t been anything to write home about.
Speaking of home: I’ll be on a flight back to New York later today during the Knicks’ third summer league game, tipping off at 4pm against the Detroit Pistons. My plan is to watch the game on the flight, but airplane WiFi being what it is, there’s a chance I won’t get to it until I’m back. Long story short, there’s a chance tomorrow’s newsletter won’t be coming your way until slightly later in the morning than usual. Thanks in advance for your patience!
Summer League Roundup
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.
Or, more accurately for the Knicks, what happens in San Antonio stays in San Antonio.
As in, quality basketball.
As we celebrate the one-month anniversary of the big club climbing the NBA mountaintop against the Spurs, our penance is a summer league team that has been outscored by more points than any other team in Vegas.
Needless to say, it is a price we are all thrilled to pay.
Whether or not you believe my colleague Shawn Hardie about the first two rules of summer league1, 2026 was already shaping up to be perhaps the least consequential Vegas residency the Knicks have had in some time. With Jordan Clarkson re-signing and Tyler Kolek having outgrown the summer festivities, the Knicks arguably have their top 11 rotation players set without the need to rely on anyone playing in these games.
That sentiment was only reinforced by the outcomes, although it wasn’t all bad, as we’ll get to in a bit. On that note, here are my top five takeaways from my weekend in the land of lost wages:
1. Oh no, Mo
I could have just as easily started off with Pacome Dadiet and his 2-for-13 shooting line from distance, but respectfully, he hasn’t earned it. We’ve seen so little from Dadiet over his first two years that labeling his summer outing a disappointment would be disingenuous. Even with a few nice baskets against the Nets on Friday and one nice finish through contact on Saturday, nothing from this weekend has disproven his tenuous status on the roster. Some Knicks people may still believe in him, but I’m just about ready to write him off as a loss.
Mohamed Diawara is different. We already saw him produce at the NBA level in a way few anticipated, so there was justifiable excitement coming into Vegas this July. If he took yet another step up, maybe that rotation conversation would become even more full-throated.
That could very well still happen. Playing poorly in glorified scrimmages is far from a death knell. Still, one made field goal in 14 attempts across two games is not what anyone had in mind as a follow up to his rookie year. I was happy to chalk up a poor showing on Friday to opening game nerves, and Mo acknowledged his poor play afterwards, but to have a repeat performance against the Spurs was slightly more discouraging. Through two games, the Knicks have been outscored by 54 points with Diawara on the court, which was 20 points worse than the next lowest individual plus/minus through Sunday morning.
The far bigger question: does any of this even matter? Again, Mo has already done it at the highest level, where we’ve seen him in his actual role as a supporting piece as opposed to a generator of offense. My guess is that he’s been enjoying the fruits of being an NBA champion every bit as much as his veteran teammates, so we probably should have expected something of a hangover. Consider me unbothered.
It also wasn’t all bad. Diawara made some great reads in the first quarter on Saturday, and playmaking is probably the area you’d have most liked to see pop. That said, his shooting will continue to dictate his playing time moving forward. Part of the reason he got the contract he did is because of continued league-wide skepticism that his 37 percent hit rate as a rookie was legit.
Come October, we’ll see if he gets the opportunity to proof it wasn’t a fluke.
2. Tyler Nickel, Flamethrower
There was no mystery coming out of the draft about whether Tyler Nickel heard his name called because of his shooting. The question was whether he’d be able to do the other stuff necessary to stay on the court. You can also never be too sure that shooting in college will translate to the pros.
Consider all the early boxes checked.
Through the first three days in Vegas, Nickel led all summer leaguers in made threes, going 10-for-21 from distance in 52 minutes of action.
Far be it from me to analyze shooting mechanics, but the ball looks great coming out of his hands, and boy does it come out fast. As DJ Zullo pointed out, part of the reason for his super quick release is that Nickel does a nice job getting his feet set as soon as he gets the ball. Between that and his 6'7" height, it’s easy to see the shooting continuing to translate.
But that wasn’t even the most impressive thing about his early showing. Defensively, the 47th overall pick looks like he can hold his own. Again, credit to DJ for pointing out both Nickel’s high motor and his penchant for chase down blocks. Watching in person, I saw a guy who should be able to survive on that end of the floor, at least against opposing backup units (although you gotta clean up those backdoor cuts, my guy).
Will it be enough to get him a place on the 15-man roster come October? Don’t bet on that, according to Stefan Bondy:
Despite his promise, Nickel is unlikely to command a standard contract for the defending champs. He’s a candidate for a two-way deal, though, and that should all be sorted out during training camp in late September into October.
We’ll see what happens. Either way, Walt Perrin got himself another notch on the old belt with this pick.
3. Kayil first look, and maybe not the last?
New York’s first second rounder, German combo guard Jack Kayil, made his debut on Saturday after sitting out the Nets game to get acclimated. He scored a dozen points on 5-of-12 shooting, which made him Jerry West in comparison to most of his teammates. By my eye, the kid looked young but also not out of place. At the very least, it made me want to see more, and it sounds like we will:
After initial reports that Kayil would be a draft and stash candidate, he told the media that his plan is to play in the NBA next season but that it would ultimately be up to the Knicks. Bondy indicates he might get his wish. My guess is that he’d get one of New York’s two-way deals, especially if that’s the route they’re going to go with Nickel, but we’ll see what happens come training camp.
One guy who I would be very OK not seeing on another two-way is Dillon Jones, who frankly looked like he’d rather be watching soccer than playing in Saturday’s game. That was especially disappointing after head coach T.J. Saint specifically called out Jones along with Diawara and Dadiet to show up with a better effort against San Antonio after Friday’s dud. I didn’t see it.
4. Andre Drummond is a large human
I don’t care how many times you’ve watched Andre Drummond on television. Until you see him up close and in person, you can’t fully understand how huge he is, even in the company of other very sizable individuals.
That was a secondary takeaway though, behind the fact that Drummond showed up at all. On a weekend when Mikal Bridges, Tyler Kolek and Deuce McBride were the only other current Knicks to support the summer kids from the sideline, it was really cool to see Drummond make an appearance on Saturday. He joined the Knicks’ contingent of Leon Rose, Worldwide Wes, Mike Brown, Walt Perrin and new friend of the pod Allan Houston, along with a few notable Knick dads.
I’m feeling increasingly bullish on the Drummond experiment the more I think about it.
5. Unfinished business
About those dads…
I found it symbolic that the two fathers of current players to make an appearance this weekend were Karl Towns Sr. and Walt McBride, whose sons just so happen to be the most notable Knicks up for an extension, albeit in very different situations.
For Towns, it’s about how much less than the max he’s willing to take. I spoke with The Athletic’s Jon Krawczynski last week, and while he hadn’t heard specifically about KAT’s willingness to take a discount, he thought it likely that he might follow in his All-Star teammate’s footsteps.
That decision could directly impact Deuce McBride, who has been eligible to sign an extension since December and is still looking for his first major NBA payday. At this point, it’s an unsafe assumption to presume the Knicks are ever going to cross the second apron under James Dolan. That means continued frugality around the margins.
Which begs the question: is there a happy medium between what Deuce (deservedly) is seeking and what the front office is able and/or willing to pay? Looking at the free agent landscape this summer, if I was Deuce’s agent, I’d point out that Kelly Oubre Jr, Kevin Huerter, Keon Ellis, Collin Sexton and Dean Wade all received between $8.2 and $9.7 million annually. None of those players are perfect comps for McBride, but they’re all (at best) 7th men on a contending team, and some probably closer to 9th or 10th men. We know McBride just played the role of a 6th/7th/8th man on a title team, and did so fighting through an injury that continued impacting his shot even after he returned to the court. Those contracts should be his absolute floor.
I had a chance to speak to Deuce’s dad briefly on Saturday, and can say with confidence that the McBride family would love nothing more than to make New York their long term home. As the (now) longest tenured Knick, I hope the front office makes him a real offer (3 years, $33 million, perhaps?) to keep him in blue and orange through his 30th birthday.
🏀
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Rule No. 1: Don’t pay attention to summer league.
Rule No. 2: Don’t pay attention to summer league.
We all love Deuce. We all loved Mitch too. Unless there is a special codicil in the Collective Bargaining agreement that I am not aware of, there is no practical way they are going to be able to keep Deuce long-term nor should they given the current Apron rules and the fact that Deuce's market value will never be higher (in my view) than it is now. He is a luxury and not a necessity. Please show me where I am wrong. As for Drummond, I agree that his appearance in Vegas is strong evidence of his commitment to be a legit contributor/rotation member. I hope that he is spending significant time in the Fitness Center at the hotel so that he can begin dropping the 20-30 pounds that would help him be a real factor on D. As we have said ad nauseum, the Knicks still will need an athletic 5 who can protect the rim and defend when KAT is not available. That is the only place where our flank is currently exposed to the competition. Brad Stevens made a defensive chess move to put us in this position, and we can argue about the efficacy of that financial decision (especially in light of jettisoning Brown for cap reasons), but he has put is in this box, and it is now our turn to make a move (now, February, whenever Leon decides is appropriate). The good news is that these are all "rich team" problems.
Safe travels Jon. Although I've already taped the Detroit game I'm not getting excited about summer league but do want to see more from Mo and maybe in your camp that daddy is a lost cause. The deuce question is tough. 33,000 3 years might be better spent. I don't know if they spoke to DeRozan but personally think he may have been a better fit than Clarkson and certainly a more consistent fire power shooter. Both second round draftees may be a surprisingly great surprise. I also think Due the options that stashing Kayril ( phonetic), might not be a bad idea to see how things shake out. Kolek must get more time where there's no sense in keeping him. Still questioning the third center option and Deuce might be part of the solution in a trade but his upside is still very high so I'm watching my own judgment.