4 Knicks takeaways from 2025 Summer League
From Tyler Kolek's lackluster showing to Mohamed Diawara's promising debut, here are four takeaways following New York's time in Las Vegas.
Tyler Kolek's struggles
Kolek's second Summer League was a disappointment. The sophomore guard shot just 17.1 percent from deep and only had five more assists than turnovers in five games. It was concerning to see him struggle against extended defensive pressure.
Kolek did respond well to two bad outings by scoring 23 points in the first half of New York's 97-93 win against the Nets this past Tuesday. Another positive to take from the games was Kolek's ability to play with pace off misses or turnovers. There were several times where he made great hit-ahead passes or moved the ball quickly to set up transition-scoring opportunities for his teammates.
It's difficult to put too much stock into Kolek's Summer League, but it does confirm that he still has some work to do on both the offensive and defensive ends to earn trust and minutes as the team's backup point guard.
Uneven run for second-year players
Pacome Dadiet, Kevin McCullar Jr. and Ariel Hukporti were all limited due to injuries, but let's look at what the second-year players did in truncated time.
Dadiet missed three games due to a left foot injury. The Frenchman flashed an ability to score off cuts and in transition in two games. However, three-point shooting remains a question. Dadiet shot 25 percent from deep. If he doesn't improve from long range, it will be hard for the former first-round pick to earn consistent minutes for the Knicks.
Hukporti appeared in three games. Outside of a nine-point, 13-rebound and three-block night against the Boston Celtics, the big man was relatively quiet, averaging 6.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and two blocks. He missed the final two games with a left knee sprain.
McCullar made plays as a slasher and ballhandler which stood out in his 30-point outing against the Celtics. But like Dadiet, three-point shooting (20 percent on 10 attempts) remains a weakness. McCullar only played for two games due to a nasal contusion. All three players still have room to grow, though, and each did show glimmers of potential.
Rookie surprise
With just seven points and 5.3 rebounds averaged in four games, Diawara's Summer League numbers don't pop, but his presence was felt. The 6-foot-8 second-round pick also has a 7-foot-4 wingspan and 9-foot-2 standing reach. On defense, he is a switchable defender.
Where Diawara was a surprise is on the offensive end. He has a better feel for the game than expected, making several nifty passes, initiating the offense at times and showing an ability to push the ball after securing rebounds.
Diawara's outside shot needs a lot of work. Last season, he shot 31 percent from three in France. In the Summer League, Diawara converted just 2 of 13 threes (15.4 percent).
Roster conundrum
Diawara was just one of several Summer League players vying for roster spots. McCullar, Anton Watson and MarJon Beauchamp are the Knicks' current two-way contract players.
Summer League saw several players worthy of a potential roster spot. Watson led the way Saturday against Washington with 21 points and six rebounds. Beauchamp led the Knicks in scoring in two separate games.
Dink Pate had a solid Summer League showing, averaging 9.8 points and 6.4 rebounds in 17.6 minutes. The undrafted 19-year-old wing ended his stint with 20 points, 10 rebounds and two blocks against the Wizards.
The Knicks can still add one veteran-minimum contract and one rookie deal before reaching the second apron. It remains to be seen which of these five players will be on the roster by the start of the season.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Darren Waller's return is "tricky" with joint practices upcoming
Dolphins tight end Darren Waller remains on the active/physically unable to perform list after coming out of retirement. He is about a week away from working his way back into practice, coach Mike McDaniel said Wednesday, but it's going to be "tricky" with joint practices upcoming. The Dolphins go against the Bears and Lions back-to-back. 'It's a little tricky because you're bringing a guy back, and is his first practice a joint practice?' McDaniel said Wednesday, via the South Florida Sun Sentinel. "So, it's about a week, but it's a little tricky in terms of what practice. We'll feel our way through that, and you're just trying to be smart with that.' Waller, who has not played since the 2023 season, has worked on the side in camp. His agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said on WSVN this week that Waller will be ready for the start of the season. Waller is listed as the starting tight end on the Dolphins' initial depth chart.
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Texas A&M senior Edge is using his All-SEC team snub as 'fuel to the fire' this season
Texas A&M's 2025 pass rush will more than likely be led by senior edge Cashius Howell, who returned for his final collegiate season after defensive linemen Nic Scourton, Shemar Turner and Shemar Stewart departed for the NFL, leaving the former Bowling Green standout as one of the best players on the roster. However, Howell, who recorded four sacks and seven pass deflections in a rotational role last season, has been snubbed by several preseason watch lists. After Wednesday's sixth and first padded preseason practice, Howell spoke to the media members in attendance, and was asked about one of the more significant preseason snubs after he was left off the the preseason All-SEC team, which included running back Le'Veon Moss (first team) offensive linemen Ar'maj Reed-Adams, Trey Zuhn III and Chase Bisontis named to the second team. At the same time, cornerback Will Lee III and linebacker Taurean York were named to the third team on defense. While York has certainly done enough on the field to garner first or second team honors, the fact that Howell wasn't even considered a third team defensive linemen was quite surprising, esepecially after finishing the year as the team's top rated pass rusher per Pro Football Focus. However, Howell is taking the high road, and, just like his low recruiting ranking, the Missouri native isn't worried about the national perception. 'You're talking to a guy who was once rated 2,000th best player in my class. I'm used to not getting picked and overlooked so it just adds fuel to the fire for me.' At 6'4" and over 250 pounds, coach Mike Elko taking over as the program's defensive play caller is good news for Howell, who will be in perfect postion to rush the passer and eliminate stretch runs, capitalizing on his impressive play at the end of the 2024 campaign. Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty. This article originally appeared on Aggies Wire: Texas A&M Edge Cashius Howell is taking his All-SEC snub in stride
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Shohei Ohtani's Ruthian feats are not enough as bullpen melts down against Cardinals
Only one player in the last 110 years has tried to do what the Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani is doing this season, which is to pitch and hit successfully at the big-league level. Babe Ruth twice won more than 20 games and led the American League in ERA and starts before the Red Sox, then the Yankees, decided pitching was distracting from Ruth's hitting and put him out to pasture in right field. Over the next three seasons, Ruth broke the major league record for home runs three times. The Dodgers and Ohtani insist he'll remain a two-way player for the time being, but recent performances suggests both the Red Sox and Yankees may have been on to something when they took Ruth off the mound. Read more: Max Muncy is back with four RBIs in Dodgers' rout of Cardinals Ohtani made his eighth start of the year Wednesday and it was his best as a Dodger, with the right-hander giving up just a tainted run on two hits and striking out a season-high eight in four innings. Perhaps more important, he also slugged his first home run in 10 games in the third inning of a 5-3 matinee loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. It was the first truly Ruthian two-way performances for Ohtani since he joined the Dodgers but it was one the team's bullpen wasted, with three relievers combining to yield four runs on 10 hits over the final five innings. The two most important ones came in the eighth, when the Cardinals turned a one-run deficit into a one-run lead, greeting Alex Vesiawith a pair of singles before a two-out hit from Jordan Walker drove in the tying run and the winning one scored on a throwing error by third baseman Alex Freeland. As for Ohtani, while he has posted an 2.37 ERA and struck out 25 in 19 innings in his eight starts, his offense has suffered. In the same eight games, he has batted .219 and in his last six starts, he's gone just three for 24 at the plate. That's part of a slump that began in mid-June, when Ohtani made his pitching debut for the Dodgers. At the time he led the majors in runs and led the National League in homers and slugging percentage. Since then, his strikeout rate has risen, his average has plummeted more than 20 points and he's clubbed just 14 homers, one fewer than he had in May alone as a designated hitter. 'I do think that there's something to it,' Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of the difficulty and hitting and pitching at the big-league level. 'Obviously, when he's pitching, there's an added emphasis, understandably so, on pitching. There's a calibration that needs to happen." Read more: Hernández: Mookie Betts sounds depressed, but he isn't giving up on snapping his hitting slump Ohtani both pitched and hit on his way to two MVP awards with the Angels. But last season, the first in five years in which he didn't pitch while recovering from a second elbow surgery, Ohtani sent career highs in virtually every offensive category and led the NL in runs (134), homers (54) and RBIs (130) while becoming the first player in history to hit 50 homers and steal 50 bases in a single season. That won him a third MVP award and a World Series ring, replicas of which were handed out Wednesday to the 44,621 sun-splashed fans who came to see Ohtani pitch. But in 2021, when he topped 10 starts for the first time with the Angels, he hit a full-season career-low .257 and struck out a career-high 189 times. Hitting and pitching are both full-time jobs, Roberts said, with bullpen sessions in between starts, batting practice, video to study and strategy meetings to attend. That's one reason no one has tried to do both since Ruth. For Ohtani, the manager said, the challenge now is finding comfort in the crowed new routine. 'It's not the norm,' he said. 'It's been over two years since he's done this, so he's still sort of getting adjusted to this lifestyle, as far as kind of the day to day." Read more: Things are finally turning around for Dodgers' Roki Sasaki Ohtani breezed through his longest start as a Dodger, topping 100 mph multiple times and retiring the first six Cardinals in order. It would have been seven but shortstop Mookie Betts and second baseman Miguel Rojas lost Walker's popout in a high sky leading off the third. That went for a hit and Walker came around to score on a stolen base, a ground out and Brendan Donovan's infield single. Ohtani struck out the next four hitters he faced while giving his team the lead in the third, following Alex Call's leadoff double — his first hit as a Dodger — with a two-run homer to center. The hit was the 1,000th in the majors for Ohtani while the homer was his 39th of the season. The Dodgers added another run in the fourth when Andy Pages led off with a single, moved to second on a wild pitch, stole third and continued home when the throw from catcher Pedro Pagés hit the bat of Miguel Rojas and ricocheted toward the Dodger dugout. Then came the daily bullpen meltdown, with the Cardinals pushing a run across against Justin Wrobleski in the sixth, setting the stage for their eighth-inning rally against Vesia. Brock Stewart gave up the final run in the ninth. Sign up for more Dodgers news with Dodgers Dugout. Delivered at the start of each series. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
