RJ Barrett looked like one of the youngest players in the league. The defense looked like a summer league/all star game hybrid. The sophomores let their improvements shine like new toys at show and tell. There was even a complete third quarter debacle and Murphy's Law incarnate as an act of God stopped the game just as NY started to attempt a comeback. That's right, Knicks basketball is back! The first half of the game was a thing of beauty. The returning players showed off their chemistry plus some improved jumpers to leap out to a massive lead. Then they let up and NO came storming back behind Frank Jackson and attacking inside. It was a perfect series of events to illustrate why a collection of veterans who do their jobs without faltering can be so important in the regular season. These young guys have the talent to go on remarkable runs for a quarter or two; but consistency is usually the last shoe to drop and motors are hard to keep at 100% for 48 minutes. It's been a long offseason, so let's take a nice long look at the performances and set the table for the rest of summer league.
RJ: RJ Barrett looked nervous, young and forced a lot. That's okay; first game jitters and lack of familiarity with teammates will do that. We saw exactly the challenges that RJ's going to face in year one; his jumper is a work in progress, he's left hand dominant and he doesn't explode for separation. But we also saw the characteristics that have everyone excited about Barrett's ability to grow. Barrett is willing to attack the defense wherever it gives him room. He never shied from taking open jumpers no matter how many misses. There were plenty of forays into the paint with a few very tough finishes in the mix. Maple Mamba even flashed a bit of post-up play to get deep into the teeth of the defense. Speaking of Mamba; the competitive streak is obvious in this kid. When Zion strung together three dunks; Barrett responded with a three pointer and drawing a foul, his first bits of aggression in the game. Then in the third when the Pelicans made their run, Barrett forced things trying to respond as well. So you got to see the competitive edge he RJ's got, but also how it can become detrimental.
RJ's stat line is ugly for this one. He provided 10 points on 18 FGA's and just 1/8 from three to go with 5 boards and 1 assist over 25 minutes out there. But this was a tough spot to be in even for someone who has felt the spotlight before. Not only was this the prized pick's first pro experience; but he shared the floor with four players who had built in chemistry from last year. Where other players had a feel for where to be to help each other out, Barrett at times would find himself wandering into traffic. The kid also focused too much on his own scoring. He missed a handful of kick out opportunities that a film room session ought to help (it was Trier's rookie summer league game all over again). This will take patience. It's hard to say where the mistakes were nerves versus just bad habits that Fiz has to weed out. One thing is for sure though, RJ has a lot of work to do with Fiz when it comes to developing defensively.
Iggy: The Knicks second round selection, Ignas Brazdeikis struggled with his jumper and free throws but showed promising attributes. The new Iggy went 2/8 and 0/3 from three in route to 5 points and 4 boards over 18 minutes, but the shoddy numbers hide some promising signs. Iggy's instincts saw him finding open space on the floor often. There were more than a handful of plays where the rookie just happened to be at the right place at the right time. Most of Iggy's jumpers were good looks but fell short (the NBA distance may take some adjusting huh?). There were also some nice moments when Brazdeikis got the ball in motion and attacked; he drew 3 FTA's on the attack. Similar to Barrett, I'm chalking up the poor shooting to nerves and hoping that he continues to get himself clean looks. That will translate into makes as the law of averages kicks in. The good instincts didn't just stop at getting open for shots. Ignas would appear whenever the ball got loose or was in the air. This characteristic will endear a player to fans, because he's bound to make some good things happen with so many opportunities to have an impact. There's a base to build on.
Knox: We've got about one more month to keep reminding everybody that Kevin Knox is only 19 years old! When it comes to player improvement, I think Knox showed more than anyone else out there. It started with his three point shot. Knox knocked down his first two three's with Zion fairly close by and sprinting back to challenge. Those were shots where I'd expect the Knicks youngster to either hesitate or brick his shot in the past. But he was confident last night and that release looked just a little bit faster which made all the difference. Then there were his forays into the paint. Last year, Knox would drive into contact with the balance of a toddler on a treadmill. Against the Pelicans however, Knox looked fluid and under control. That meant some really nice finishes as the sophomore attacked inside. It all combined to create efficiency! Knox went 6/12 and 3/7 from three point land in route to 17 points. He did have 3 TO's to no assists but there were actually some scattered nice kick outs where the shooters just didn't connect (look back up at those shooting numbers for the rooks). In sum, on offense Knox didn't force as much and looked much more prepared for pressure defense.
Let's talk about the other aspects of his game though. Knox flashed good rebounding in spurts last season but it never came together. Defensively he was plain bad and that was exacerbated by a motor that would come and go. In his first game back, Kevin Knox was much more focused under the glass and defensively. It started with denying an alley-oop to Zion and continued all night translating to 8 boards and 2 blocks. That's not to say he's suddenly a high level defender, but this was a better effort than we'd typically see. Fitness may really have something to do with that and we'll see if the motor holds through the rigors of a season or even consistently throughout summer league. But Knox displayed that he can be at least average on that end. Of course there were some warts. Knox still lacks the strength to stick at PF defensively and did let players slip behind him on cuts at times. He's a work in progress for certain, but the progress is actually showing.
Mitch: Fresh of a team national select team invite, Mitchell Robinson got to filling up the stat sheet in just 22 minutes of play. Robinson tallied 8 points on 3/4 shooting to go with 10 boards, 4 blocks and 2 steals. The sophomore barely played 20 minutes but managed all of that defensive goodness to go with some monstrous dunks. My favorite part was Mitch blocking a Zion Williamson three point attempt and then slamming the ball on the other end. That's a play that Mitch makes with some consistency while being a rarity for virtually every other player in the league. This was all very much Mitch being Mitch. His presence inside was mitigated slightly by the Knicks never having a second big out there to help out and also by the guards giving up way too many free runners into the paint. Mitch found himself in no man's land even during half court sets. That's a summer league aberration (I hope). He was still a strong deterrent who's probably one smart help defender away from being a walking stop. In terms of growth, we didn't see many new wrinkles but the things that Mitch was good at all looked improved. He worked off a stronger base, though like Knox he needs to keep building up his core. The rebounds that Mitch got to weren't just off of athleticism, but he was positioned well. The shot blocking is hard to judge because he's been elite at it. Even though teams know what to expect, Mitch takes what he wants because he's such a force at certain aspects of this game already.
Iso-Zo: Allonzo Trier almost scored a point per minute and lived up to his reputation as a walking bucket. Zo seemed more committed to the three ball and still just as effective at getting into the lane as ever. He also flashed a bit of his growing awareness as the Knicks most effective playmaker. The Seattle native pumped in 21 points on 8/14 shooting and 3/4 from three while contributing 5 boards and 4 assists to just one turnover. Trier seemed a bit more willing to pass and more open to letting the game come to him. He's always been shockingly efficient, but last night he managed to do more scoring with less field goal attempts and far less pounding the rock. This was a man amongst boys...at least on offense. I was massively disappointed in Trier's defensive presence or lack thereof. He didn't make many appearances as a help defender and the Pelicans guards were dancing into the paint far too effortlessly against every guard. It's nice to put up 21 on 14 attempts but if an opposing guard offsets that by pumping in 30 on 17 then we're losing that battle. That's not to put Jackson's explosion all on Trier's shoulders, but for Zo to get to the next level we'll need to start feeling his presence on defense. Our sophomore UDFA is too gifted offensively not to try and push him on the other end of the floor, he could be truly special if he develops a two way game. Allonzo Trier is just that hard to stop, average defense would make him a starter caliber player in this league.
Allen: I'm torn on this performance because I want to rip into Kadeem Allen more for not setting himself apart and not providing the defensive presence that makes up for his offensive limitations. That said, he ran the offense in a way that saw fair distribution of touches despite the Knicks having a lot of mouths to feed on offense. That didn't stand out until Allen would come off the floor. Zo is still a score first guy and Peters looked out of his depth. So Kadeem Allen still showed the maturity and control that makes him valuable. He just didn't show the disruptive defensive presence that makes his game leap off the screen. As a matter of fact, I'd grade him poorly on defense when that's usually his biggest strength. Allen added 4 points on 2/8 shooting along with just 2 assists. He distributed the touches well but wasn't actually creating so much as just making sure the ball worked through everyone's hands. That's not really a negative, but it does require contributions elsewhere to make his impact anything other than neutral or worse. Still, this was a huge improvement over last summer league when Trier and Rathan-Mayes were running the show...so I won't come down on him too hard. Remember Dotson looking pedestrian in his summer league debut last year? This feels a bit like that. Dot rebounded from the early silence really well, Allen is capable too.
Peters: We saw some of Lamar Peters but not enough to be overly judgmental. He played 12 minutes to go 2/7 from the field and 1/3 from three for a tally of 5 points and 3 assists to 2 TO's. The turnovers was the types of mistakes that a young player makes in summer league. Peters shot selection was a bit forced although he hit a three pointer off the dribble early that was promising. Being able to pull it from three off the dribble can unlock a lot in pick and roll situations. That said, he looked the part of a solid G-league addition and nothing more.
Wooten: I get why you wouldn't pair Wooten and Mitch in the front court for anything more than spot minutes. The spacing would be a nightmare. But my God, I just wanted to see both those guys out there during the Peli's third quarter run. We weren't scoring anyway and these guys would be the basketball equivalent of the Bash Brothers from the Mighty Ducks. Wooten aka poor man's Mitch came in there for 10 minutes and contributed off of sheer athleticism, mobility and motor. So in his brief 10 minutes, we saw 2 points, 4 boards, an assist and 2 blocks. Like a young Mitch, Wooten also got overzealous and found himself poorly positioned for it at times though. He's as raw as can be and will absolutely need G-league development to become whatever it is that he will grow into. That said, he has NBA athleticism and then some. I'd really like to see the Knicks put some effort into developing the kid and maybe getting him to work like a maniac on a 16 footer so that some day my dream can be realized of both Mitch and Wooten flying around the paint for just five good minutes when a team was on a run.
Cavanaugh and White: These two got a combined 9 minutes in the first half. That's not enough to judge anything although Cavanaugh did hit a nice little midrange shot and grab 3 boards in his brief 4 minute stint.
Beuchler: Normally I go in on the coach too as most of yall know. This is summer league though and that's hard to do. What I will say of the way Beuchler handled the rotation in this one is that he wasn't worried about minutes shares down the roster. The Knicks have players that will be in the rotation at summer league and those cats got the lion's share of minutes. This is good for chemistry, good for conditioning and hopefully preparing them for what will be legitimate position battles come training camp. That third quarter clapback was valuable. You guys want to be NBA starters? Then Frank Jackson shouldn't be able to humble you (although shout out to his growth because he killed it to close last season too).
Iso Dribblehead Zo 
