5 Takeaways From Knicks Summer League So Far

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

1: Jerian Grant Is The Best Player On This Squad

Coming into the Summer League, Jerian Grant was touted as a pass-first point guard with the now-rare experience of four years in college.  It’s been a while since the Knicks have had a young passing prospect, and while Grant was not expected to compete with the likes of D’Angelo Russell and Emmanuel Mudiay, he was considered a promising young distributor with great court vision.

And nothing he has done so far negates this.  But for those of us who were mostly unfamiliar with Grant, he has shown he can do much more than pass, even if that’s his strength.  His ability to weave his way to the basket in a halfcourt set is impressive and his shooting touch has been surprising.  He’s even demonstrated flashes of defensive tenacity in these first three games.

At 11.3 points and 5.0 assists per game, Grant’s scoring and passing have been strong (especially considering he’s getting fewer than 30 minutes per contest).  But he’s also been snatching 2.3 steals, a testament to his defensive activity.  Grant has looked like the floor general Knicks fans have been hoping for.  If his play is any indication of how he’ll look in his rookie season, he could easily take the starting spot from Jose Calderon at some point.

Next: 2: Porzingis Is As Advertised