New York Knicks: 3 Positives and 2 Negatives from Summer League

Positive: The New York Knicks rookies came to play

After a series of draft night deals, the Knicks came away with four new additions to the team. All of them showcased their potential, and then some.

25th pick Quentin Grimes was drafted for his future as a starting-caliber 3&D shooting guard, and he delivered. The former Houston star shrugged off a few cold nights to start the season before finishing on a shooting tear.

The 21-year old ended up averaging 15.8 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per game on 42-41-67 shooting splits. His 41% mark from three was achieved while taking a whopping 9.0 attempts per game, displaying his knack for knocking down shots from behind the arc at a high volume.

In fact, the only other rookie in the summer league to match Grimes’ 3.8 made threes per game on at least 40% shooting happened to be the number one overall pick, Cade Cunningham.

With the 34th pick, the Knicks ended up selecting Rokas Jokubaitis from Lithuania. Jokubaitis is a “draft & stash” player who currently suits up in the Spanish Liga ACB, so he only appeared in three contests due to his contractual obligation.

The 20-year old still performed admirably in his limited action, averaging 6.3 points in just 9.7 minutes per game while shooting 7-10 from the field and 3-5 from three in total. He won’t be on the roster next year, but his solid play in the summer league indicates that he could join the team as early as the 2022 season.

At pick 36, West Virginia point guard Miles McBride ended up getting the call from New York’s front office. While it’s still too early to make any significant conclusions, McBride is looking like the steal of the entire draft.

He averaged 15.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game on absurd 53-55-88 shooting splits. He was hitting shots both off the dribble and on catch-and-shoot opportunities while also providing relentless defensive pursuit.

It seems like head coach Tom Thibodeau is going to love the 20-year old’s toughness and energy, so it wouldn’t be hard to imagine him getting some rotation minutes despite New York having a loaded backcourt.

Finally, the Knicks picked up Texas center Jericho Sims with the 58th pick. Sims has incredible athleticism, using his broad frame and his 44.5″ vertical leap to effortlessly finish alley-oops that seemed impossible to corral.

The 22-year old averaged 8.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game in Las Vegas, shooting 81% from the field. He’ll be on a two-way contract next season, splitting time between the pros as well as the G League.

Every single draft pick had their moments throughout the exhibition games and it helps make the future of the Knicks look even more bright than it already is.