The New York Knicks took down the Atlanta Hawks 104-85 to close out Summer League with two rookies leading all scorers.
The rookies in the backcourt showed out for the second straight game. At halftime, Miles McBride had 19 points and Quentin Grimes wasn’t far behind with 16. Hearing a fresh set of commentators watch these young Knicks was fun. They marveled at Jericho Sims’ athleticism and delighted in the combination of shooting and defense that Deuce McBride brings. It was an exciting way to close out the summer league.
Obi Toppin and Immanuel Quickley took a step back, but still looked a step ahead of most players on the floor. They’re slip-ups allowed the rookies to take over complete with early heat-checks and aggressive offense. Let’s take a closer look at the quality performances.
The rookie backcourt steals the show for New York’s starters
Immanuel Quickley: A month ago, if I told you that Immanuel Quickley’s playmaking would make up for his shooting in summer league how crazy would you think I was? IQ got all of his looks that we are familiar with and missed on almost every shot he took. The sophomore still managed to look like an NBA player thanks in large part of some beautiful passes. He made full-court dimes to sprinting players and followed those with clever reads through pick and rolls. These weren’t your average chest passes to next man over, Quickley was dealing!
IQ spent 30 minutes attacking for 14 points, 7 assists, and 6 rebounds. He shot a woeful 3/18 from the field, 3/14 from three, and 5/5 from the free throw line. Ironically, he didn’t force much, despite the awful numbers. Quickley just shot miserably. Channing Frye would be halfway through a compliment for how IQ created space, or let a nice floater off and the shot would rim out. On the bright side, his pace was fantastic and he moved the ball beautifully all night. The points of struggle from game one were strengths by this final outing.
Heading into training camp and preseason, Quickley’s just got to get his shot falling. This was a small sample, but I couldn’t help but have Landry Fields flashbacks watching a returning all-rookie shoot like he’s lost his mojo. The good news is that as streaky as IQ can be, he showed all of the requisites to be a problem once the shot falls. He’s keeping his dribble, better balanced against physicality, and showing off some real court vision. He had a promising summer league even with the disappointing shot.
Quentin Grimes: Quentin Grimes continued his momentum from the previous game by scoring the Knicks first 9 points on 3 straight three’s. He didn’t let up until coach Yoshimoto gave him breathers. With his shot falling, Grimes was able to get the much needed separation that we’ve been hoping for. The 25th pick continues to use head fakes to create small windows to attack from. He’s got passing awareness and just enough ball-handling to make forays inside successful with some development. He can attack full-speed or slow down to hit a screen, that makes him brutal to defend in transition.
Grimes dropped 26 points, 3 assists, 6 boards, 1 steal, 1 block, and 3 turnovers in 28 minutes. He filled up the stat sheet via three point prowess and aggressiveness. He shot 10/17 from the field, 6/12 from three, and 0/1 from the free throw line; but he got that missed free throw back and hit a three. There was a bit of “rookie” in the turnovers, as Grimes telegraphed some decisions. That said, the kid has gotten more comfortable with every game and really took this match-up over. He showed off the full bag, finally connecting on some midrange shots as well.
Grimes spent most of summer league looking like an heir apparent to Reggie Bullock. Grimes’ shooting touch was obvious even before the shot started falling, and his defense has been aggressive throughout the summer league. But these past two games have displayed potential for versatility to go along with the 3 and D role. Grimes is a genuinely fun player to watch in transition and proved willing to drive at contact or pull-up with that speedy release.
Wayne Selden: Wayne Selden made the most of his 11 minutes. The vet filled up the stat sheet in that time, picking up 12 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds, and 2 turnovers. With the rest of the starters sitting on a big lead lead, Selden went off. He did all his damage from three, going 4/4 from behind the arc and 4/7 overall. His no-look dime to Aamir Simms was a beauty.
Obi Toppin: Similar to Quickley, Obi Toppin’s scoring tailed off as he took a backseat to the hot hands of Grimes and McBride. Obi didn’t pick-up isolations in the post or cash on transitions as much as in prior summer league games. That was fine though, because the team was comfortably ahead most of the way. We still saw Toppin shoot confidently and attempt some highlight value dunks. His off-ball movement helped him to some easy cuts for baseline dunks when McBride and Grimes hit the lane.
Toppin picked up 11 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 2 turnovers over 28 minutes of action. He shot 4/12 from the field, 1/4 from three, and 2/2 from the free throw line. He almost notched an extra three-ball, but the shot clock beat the pass. This felt like a game where Obi let other players hold the spotlight. He rarely attacked off the dribble or utilize the three-man weave up top to find some off the dribble opportunities.
That Toppin was able to find production despite being relegated off-ball more is a promising sign. He’ll likely be relegated to that role more often when the regular season roster arrives. Obi’s three-point shooting was still inconsistent, but he’s trending in the right direction. The sophomore seems poised to have a productive second campaign but he must keep up his momentum.
Jericho Sims: Yet another team of NBA announcers pondered aloud “how did Jericho Sims slip to 58th in the draft” before the end of the first half. Sims finished another dunk with his head above the rim and Channing Frye was astounded. On another occasion, he literally ripped a rebound out from above an opposing big man that had fully boxed him out for good position. The mind boggling athleticism is enough to have any coach salivating at the thought of developing this kid.
Sims dropped 6 points, 13 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block in his 27 minutes of action. He shot 2/4 from the field and 2/2 from the free throw line. He’d had some shoddy free throw nights before, so it’s good to see him converting the freebies in these last couple of games. For as exciting as his athletic plays are, it’s the other stuff that really intrigues me. Sims attempted a fading, turnaround jumper from the deep post at one point that I don’t think either of New York’s rotation centers would even try.
Sims closes the summer league out with the Knicks’ scouting department patting each other’s backs. He has some of Mitchell Robinson’s eye-popping athleticism inside a stronger frame. Add to that, he boasts some of the nuances that multiple years in college would help pin down. He sets solid screens, plays patiently in the lane, and challenges shots without chasing blocks. The kid has all of the goods to break into an NBA rotation sooner than later. With the logjam inside and still being a rookie, I still like him for G-league reps early…but he’s a lot closer than I expect from a 58th selection.
Knicks’ bench shoots the lights out
Miles McBride: Miles McBride came out the gate firing after a defender dared to go under a screen. The Deuce fired again and again…and again. McBride was brilliant throughout the first half and did it on both ends yet again. He hit shots off the bounce, then hit them on the catch, and then snuck inside for some lay-ups and a dunk along the baseline. On the opposite end of the floor, he literally defended Sharife Cooper into submission. The opposing rookie had been showing out in summer league, but quit early in this one…the injury report should say “McBride” where it lists a reason.
Deuce played 27 minutes, and finished with 19 points, 4 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal, and 2 turnovers. He shot 7/10 from the field and 5/8 from three. McBride looked for his shot less in the second-half, but it always felt like he could get back to his bag if the team needed it. His pull-up friendly style’s only drawback is a lack of trips to the charity stripe. That’s fine as long as we see enough willingness to drive when the lane is available…and the rookie shows no fear there. He finished an empathic baseline dunk at one point that left Frye exclaiming “he can do that too!?”
The summer league has been a coming out party for more than one Knicks rookie, but I think McBride helped himself most of all. Deuce has displayed ability to play on-ball and off-ball, his jumper has translated seamlessly to the pro’s so far, and his defense is exactly as advertised. The kid defends bigger than his height thanks to a crazy wingspan and he’s constantly stunting at ball-handlers or disrupting plays. It’s hard to envision Tom Thibodeau just letting this kid sit and wait his turn. I could foresee a similar situation to Quickley last season, where he breaks into the rotation fast without looking back.
MJ Walker: MJ Walker only got 11 minutes to work, clocking 2 points with his only field goal attempt. That said, he stood out again for his defense. While no single play stood out, Walker’s presence was apparent as he showed to defenders and caused some misses. He’s made a nice impression with his play over these last few games.
Aamir Simms: Aamir Sims saw 20 minutes of action and gave a nice effort. He picked up 9 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal in that time. He missed a couple of bunnies, but had nice form on his jumper. Sims shot 3/7 from the floor, 1/3 from three, and 2/2 from the free throw line. He’s agile but also looks a bit undersized out there. Regardless, It was a strong way to close out his summer league.
Quinton Rose: Quinton Rose had a timely three-pointer late in the third quarter that sparked a run. He only picked up 5 points, 1 assist, and 1 turnover, but he played a really solid game. He only played 12 minutes and didn’t look bad.
The offense bounces back for Daisuke Yoshimoto
Daisuke Yoshimoto: Channing Frye remarked “I think the Knicks are the only team in summer league I’ve seen press full court and trap.” Props to coach Yoshimoto for bringing that level of intensity with this group of young prospects. The summer league squad played with a lot of discipline and leave Vegas with hype and momentum behind their prospects. The Knicks brought a lot of talented players to the floor, but Yoshimoto still gets credit for making this a truly entertaining team to watch.
I also think he deserves a shout out for finding some extra minutes for the second unit with a big lead. Wayne Selden used that time to make an audition and a Aamir Simms had his moments too. It would have been easy to ride out the young draft picks, but the game was decided and other guys got to show out. Credit to Yoshimoto for the team running like a well-oiled machine by this final game.
Closing Thoughts
This is a first, but I wish there were more summer league games. This team has genuinely been a joy to watch, with multiple players able to step up whenever there’s a need. I’ve waxed poetic on the selfless nature of these players and that has allowed hot hands to thrive. Grimes led the scoring against Atlanta, but each of Quickley, McBride, and Toppin have also led the team’s scoring in prior games. You won’t find a team with more willing defenders either. This feels like the carry-on effect of a culture the Knicks built just last season.
Going forward, we won’t get to see these kids assembled and playing together so fluidly. But in place of the youthful hype, we’ll get established talent to lead and guide the youngsters. Kemba Walker and Derrick Rose are on their way to run point. Julius Randle is ready to follow-up his All-NBA campaign. Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel are ready to reprise roles in a playoff rotation. Then the sleeping giant, Mitchell Robinson is poised to comeback as well. There is a LOT to look forward to and summer league, as fun as it was, has been just the tip of the iceberg.
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and recaps heading into the preseason and regular season. In case you missed it, catch CP’s latest live stream after the Knicks vs. Hawks Summer League finale below!
