It seems that there's a growing trend of recently drafted NBA players mulling over the idea of returning to the collegiate level. Recently, New York Knicks wing Tyler Nickel has found his name caught up in such a rumor mill.
CBS Sports' Isaac Trotter released a piece on Monday revealing that, per his sources, the 22-year-old is "expected to explore" the option of returning to the NCAA rather than suiting up in the pros for the 2026-27 season.
Needless to say, this report has quickly made its rounds across the internet and its news cycles, which only makes Nickel's social media activity several hours before this intel dropped even more noteworthy, as he cryptically posted a single thinking emoji on X at 1:35 AM that very morning.
🤔
— Tyler Nickel (tnick) (@tnick_5) August 3, 2026
Nickel spent four seasons playing college ball, with his final two serving as a member of the Vanderbilt Commodores where he averaged 12.0 points and 2.8 rebounds per game and established himself as a lights-out, long-range sniper by sporting a lethal 40.2 percent shooting clip throughout his tenure.
Soon after the Knicks snatched up his services with the 47 overall pick in June's draft, he would only further showcase his impressive shooting skills during this year's Summer League, splashing home on 41.3 percent of his three-point attempts to go along with averages of 12.2 points and 3.6 rebounds.
Should Nickel opt to return to the collegiate stage for a fifth go-around, he would join guys like Boston's Dillon Mitchell in leading the charge of this recently popular backtracking trend.
Jack Kayil more interested in staying with Knicks than some believed
Though Nickel has found that his interest in heading back to his old stomping grounds has grown since being drafted, the opposite seems to be true for his fellow second-round pick, Jack Kayil.
Soon after being selected 39 overall by the Knicks in the 2026 NBA Draft, reports started to surface that the intention was to have the German point guard serve more as a draft-and-stash talent, as New York reportedly had a desire to see him play another year out in Europe.
Now, entering his second full month since being snatched up, it appears his "dream" of playing in the NBA may come sooner than Leon Rose and company originally anticipated, especially following his strong play in last month's Summer League.
Not only would signing Kayil be a major shift from the club's initial plans, but it could also set the groundwork for a particular key rotation player being moved.
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