New York Knicks: Who stood out during preseason opener?

Enes Kanter

Enes Kanter was hot and cold early, but he dominated the fourth quarter against the Brooklyn Nets. It was an alluring way to end what can be fairly described as an encouraging debut by the latest New York Knicks addition.

Kanter may have come off the bench, but he made a powerful case for deserving a spot in the starting lineup during his Knicks debut.

Kanter finished the clash with Brooklyn with 17 points, three rebounds, and an assist in 17 minutes of action. He shot 4-of-8 from the field and went an impressive 9-of-10 at the free throw line en route to his 17-point performance.

Eight of Kanter’s 17 points were scored in the fourth quarter, when he dominated Tyler Zeller in the post and nearly led New York to a comeback victory.

Kanter peeled back the layers of his scoring arsenal against Brooklyn. He backed his man down, spun baseline, turned inside, faced up, and took his man off the bounce—all of which resulted in the Nets resorting to fouls that attempted to keep Kanter from a guaranteed two.

There’s still work to be done on both ends of the floor, but Kanter showed exactly why the organization is intrigued by what he’s capable of achieving.