New York Knicks basketball is back with a summer league loss to the Toronto Raptors 89-79.
The Knicks may have lost, but their young draft picks showed enough promise to have fans excited about their potential. And the points at Summer League matter about as much as points in Whose Line is it Anyway.
We’re more concerned with the performance of the rookies and sophomores…and for the most part, we got a series of promising debuts with a big dose of Obi Toppin’s potential to boost. As a team, New York was sloppy. They shot 7/40 from three, lost the battle on the boards, and had offensive lulls that were impossible to overcome. But the youth showed enough to have me very excited for New York’s next game against the Pacers.
The standouts for New York came from the frontcourt. Sophomores should be a step ahead of their competition at the Summer League. Obi Toppin did just that. His frontcourt partner, Jericho Sims, played well enough for Fran Fraschilla to start dropping the “steal” label on the 58th pick in the draft before his first scrimmage was over. On the downside, Immanuel Quickley struggled in a new role, and Quentin Grimes struggled with his shot. Let’s take a closer look at the individual performances and see where each player’s promise and challenges lie.
Knicks starters’ get a boost from a promising young front court
Immanuel Quickley: It’s far from time to panic about Immanuel Quickley, but he had a bad game. The sophomore entered summer league with a new offensive role to learn and faced off against a genuine NBA talent in Malachi Flynn. IQ spent most of the searching for a balance between attacking and creating as the Knicks’ lead ball handler. He looked off players for bad shot attempts, tried to draw fouls that instead became turnovers, and got taken to school by Flynn on the opposite side. But there were flashes of better play. Quickley made some very nice pick and roll passes, leading to highlights for his big men. His feel for teammates improved as the game progressed.
IQ managed 15 points, 8 assists, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, and 3 turnovers in 37 minutes. He shot a woeful 5/17 from the field, 2/11 from three, and 3/3 from the free-throw line. The poor shooting was a combination of missing the easy looks and forcing some bad ones. Quickley missed three logo distance shots before finally converting. When he got inside the arc, the floater failed him. We’ve seen IQ’s shot disappear one game and then explode in the next before. What was more worrisome was his inability to draw fouls off the dribble. That skill helped elevate his efficiency even on bad shooting nights, but the NBA is taking away some of his best tools for getting to the line.
I won’t be rating performances in summer league because it’s not the venue to worry about that. But we should pay attention to where players are working and where they need work. IQ’s pick and roll play was strong, but his creation was limited beyond that. He has to focus on more North/South attacking in half-court sets, even without screens. Ball handling could limit him here, but he has craftiness that should help as long as he’s focused on getting to areas of the floor instead of fishing for whistles. The lead ball-handler experiment could provide good results. There are flashes…but game one was a struggle.
Quentin Grimes: On the Knicks’ first position of the game, Quentin Grimes took a hand-off from a pindown and elevated to knock down a three-pointer. The play flashed his off-ball movement and high, quick release right out the gate. It’s a good thing he gave us that moment too. Grimes seemed to be at odds with his jumper for most of the performance. He got to his spots and was able to get shots off even with small windows of space, but his conversion rate was low. Still, between the tools Grimes showed and his defensive intensity, it was a solid display of potential from the Knicks’ highest selection from the draft.
Grimes added 9 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and a block in 34 minutes. He shot 3/11 from the field and 3/8 from three without a field goal attempt. The first-rounder failed to convert on his only opportunity inside and was a jump shooter the rest of the way. His floor spreading potential was clear as Grimes needs very little space to get the jumper up and never hesitated on a good look. His defense stood out more than anything though. The newcomer was aggressive throughout the night, challenging ball handlers and staying physical off the ball.
The building blocks for a serious 3 and D player are obvious here. New York’s first-round pick can improve his standing beyond that role by showing us more of everything else offensively. Grimes’ play style was reminiscent of Reggie Bullock last season, a three-point gunner that seemed limited as soon as they chased him off the line. We saw a couple of midrange pull-ups but no conversions and a missed lay-up attempt as well. What could separate Grimes from the Reggie Bullock’s of the world is that he’s got some sneaky athleticism. Watch how he leaps for boards or the speed that he can change directions with…it’s got me hopeful.
Wayne Selden: Despite only attempting 6 field goals, it still felt like Wayne Selden was trying to do too much. Shooting 16% from the field will do that to a man. The former Grizzly managed the worst field goal percentage of any player with more than 5 attempts, and a lot of players shot poorly. On the bright side, Selden played strong on-ball defense and made some nice passes when he chose to move the ball. But nothing could make me miss Kevin Knox more than watching a player brick opportunities that Kev was beginning to convert last season.
Selden played for 22 minutes, adding 6 points, 3 assists, 1 board, 2 steals, and 2 turnovers. He shot 1/6 from the field, 0/3 from three, and 4/5 from the free-throw line. Despite relying heavily on jumpers, he led the Knicks in free throw attempts…that’s thanks to an early three-point attempt that drew a flagrant foul for impeding Selden’s landing zone. This is a great stat-line to point out some of my typical complaints off the stat sheet. I want players to score more points than field goal attempts and have a 2 to 1 ratio on assists to turnovers. Good production isn’t just about the raw numbers. Selden did some good things…and he did just as much bad.
Obi Toppin: Obi Toppin started aggressively but was missing until he stole a cross-court pass and dunked the ball for a highlight. From that moment on, Toppin became the best player on the floor for most of his night. Obi got a ton of different looks, being the screen man more often and receiving the ball on virtually every switch that he forced. The sophomore’s strength seemed improved as he was able to post-up his mismatches and abuse them for easy buckets between clever footwork and soft touch. Obi tried to be a three-point threat, but that part of his game is still a work in progress. That he shot miserably from three and still led the game in scoring on a fairly efficient shooting line is impressive.
Toppin spent 37 minutes accumulating 24 points, 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, and 2 turnovers. He shot 10/21 from the field, 2/10 from three, and 2/3 from the free-throw line. Obi’s touch around the basket was really impressive. He finished over and around defenders through contact and even had a highlight tip-in with .1 seconds to convert an inbounds lob. The 10 attempts from three and 20% conversion don’t worry me. He was aggressive and working on a shot that will keep him on the floor longer and help the team out when there are fewer opportunities to be the screen man or take so many attempts.
We know the main thing that Toppin has to work on. He’s got to be a catch-and-shoot threat from behind the arc. The more Obi stretches the floor, the better off this team will be. His ability to post-up smaller players in this setting is promising but might become tougher against NBA athletes. Regardless, Obi showed improved strength, tighter ball handling, and a more aggressive mentality getting to his spots on the floor. That all bodes well for his development.
Jericho Sims: As well as Obi Toppin played, it’s Jericho Sims that ruled the conversations of Knicks fans. Sims proved to be more than just an athletic freak in his debut. He had sure hands in traffic, patience with his footwork, and easy athleticism that meant even on short gathers, the 58th pick was playing above everyone else out there. He has an NBA body already and barely played a half of basketball before the announcers began wondering out loud how so many teams slept on the Knicks’ freshly minted two-way rookie.
Sims shot a perfect 6/6 from the field in 22 minutes of action. He pumped in 12 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, and 2 turnovers. It wasn’t all dunks either. The former Longhorn flashed touch on a pair of plays in the second quarter. First, he converted a nice hook shot from around 7 feet out, and then he hit a floater at a similar distance. He’s still confined to the paint, but that slight extension and skill would turn him into a useful post player beyond the rim running.
So what should Sims look to build on? Defense and rebounding are my main focus. Sims wasn’t bad in either of these categories, but with his size and athleticism, you’d like him to impose his will even more. 8 rebounds and a block aren’t shabby, but Sims will be competing with two of the best defensive centers in the league under a coach that values defense over everything. Even without improving anywhere, if Sims plays at this level for the rest of the summer league, we’ll be talking about an unearthed gem that was 2 picks from going undrafted…and yeah, I’m throwing in another highlight because this was ridiculous.
A noteworthy performance from McBride but not much else from the Knicks’ bench unit
Miles McBride: The Marcus Smart comparisons are kind of hard to ignore with Miles McBride. The second-round pick got on the floor and played an aggressive brand of basketball at every turn. Are the Knicks on offense? McBride is running hard whether he’s got the ball or looking for space to receive it. Are they on defense? McBride’s either in somebody’s grill or patrolling a passing lane. Miles failed to convert his three-point shots, but everything else about his game showed promise. I expect the three-ball to come around also.
McBride added 9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 turnover in 26 minutes. He shot 3/8 from the field, 0/4 from three, and 3/3 from the free-throw line. The rookie flashed his midrange pull-up game on his nice field goal while also converting transition opportunities by just outrunning everyone. Defensively, he was all over the place. That bodes well for a Thibodeau pairing. McBride just seemed to be involved in everything while he was out there, and that nose for the ball and aggression should provide plenty of hype for the fanbase.
Improvement starts with making the open three-pointers count. McBride was good at virtually everything else. I’d like to see him get command of the offense some more so that we can give him test runs as the lead ball-handler. With IQ dominating the reps in that role, we never really got a good read on McBride’s ability to control the pace of a game or to gel with other scorers. I think a game with McBride as quarterback would have a frenzied pace, and I’m here for it in summer league especially.
Luca Vildoza: Luca Vildoza was jet-lagged, fresh off a flight from the Olympic Games. It showed in his brief 8-minute performance. Vildoza managed 3 assists, 1 rebound, and 1 turnover without making a field goal. He shot 0/3 all on three-point attempts. Vildoza’s standout moments were an inbounds lob to Obi Toppin for a tip-in with .1 second left in the half and drawing a charge as soon as he got on the floor. He didn’t do much to break down the defense. It was a brief appearance with very little time to prepare. We’ll give him a pass and hope to see more as he has time to get comfortable.
Aamir Simms: Aamir Simms only saw 2 minutes of action. He missed a three-pointer but didn’t have time to do much else.
Justin Patton: I’d categorize Justin Patton’s 11 minutes as forgettable. He wasn’t bad, but he didn’t do much to stand out either. Patton shot 1/4 from the field and 2/2 from the free-throw line. He finished with 4 points, 3 rebounds, and a block. He was a serviceable summer league backup, but that’s about it.
Using summer league properly and enjoying the return of basketball
Daisuke Yoshimoto: Daisuke Yoshimoto coached this game exactly how I’d like to see a coach handle summer league. He took the opportunity to try players out in various roles and focused on developing skills rather than chasing a meaningless win. Immanuel Quickley was allowed to play through mistakes and started to find his reads by the end of the game. Obi Toppin got to be the pick and roll ball handler at one point and saw more post-ups than he got pretty much all of last season. The players that matter most dominated the minute distribution. Summer league is about seeing what you’ve got and preparing the young guys for their roles against tougher competition…mission accomplished.
For Yoshimoto, it has to be frustrating watching your team fail to convert so many good looks from three. The Knicks only needed to convert a few easy ones to turn this game into more competitive fare. I think a fair chunk of that was jitters for the likes of Grimes and McBride. Quickley is figuring out when to shoot and when to create, so I’m giving him a pass too. There’s no easy way to coach a change there. I’m just glad that New York struck a solid balance of attacking inside and out.
Changes from the coach? I don’t have too many. I’d like to see the other potential point guards get longer looks on the ball. That means Luca Vildoza, Mile McBride, and Rokas Jokubaitis getting a few minutes without Quickley. But other than that, I’m happy with how Yoshimoto handled the team, and I liked his post-game comments as well.
Closing Thoughts: We got Knicks basketball back fam! After a tough ending to the season, and some exciting offseason moves, I was chomping at the bit for this day. The Knicks brought a lot of draft picks into this summer league, and they did not disappoint. I’ll stress this again…the final scores of these games are not what matters. Summer league is where the eye test rules above all, and every player we’re watching gave us something to see promise in.
Many of these kids will be finding spot minutes or G-league time as they refine their skills and build on their tools. That’s not a bad thing. It’s a natural progression for a team that’s built on depth. I get that fans want shiny new toys to be excited about, and we’ve got those…now; let’s not rush them. We saw plenty of bold proclamations about Obi being a bust but look at him now. He’s showing more promise than anyone on the floor in his summer league debut. Patience is valuable when it comes to prospects. Now I’m impatiently waiting for the next game with the Pacers, and I’ll have another recap for everyone after. See you then Knicks fam!
Stay tuned to KnicksFanTV.com for the latest Knicks news, rumors, and live streams throughout the Summer League! In case you missed it, CP, JD Sports Talk and NBA Insider Dave Zenon gave their impressions of the Knicks’ first Summer League game during last night’s stream below!
