A look at the play of rookies RJ Barrett and Ignas Brazdeikis, as well as second-year pros Kevin Knox and Mitchell Robinson.
LAS VEGAS, NV - JULY 13: RJ Barrett #9, Ignas Brazdeikis #17 of the New York Knicks hi-five each other against the Washington Wizards on July 13, 2019 at the Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas, Nevada. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agreesProjected as the favorites by the oddsmakers to win the all-important summer league championship, the Knicks entry into the Las Vegas Summer League started with a major thud.
Of course, we then had an overreaction in the other direction, as some New York supporters confidently proclaimed Barrett was Hall-of-Fame bound after a couple of good games in the Vegas desert. The truth, of course, lies somewhere in the middle. Neither the good nor the bad moments in summer league are determinative of his NBA future.
Much like his offense malaise early on, Barrett started summer league slowly on the defensive end as well. He looked lost and lazy at times in the Pelicans game. However, his defensive intensity picked up later in the week, and Barrett flashed encouraging upside on that end of the floor. His length serves him well, and he seemed to take pride in staying in front of smaller, quicker guards.
And outside of that one game in against Phoenix, he did a good job taking care of the basketball and limiting his turnovers. His numbers came back down to earth this time around , and he frustratingly struggled with his consistency, but Knox still flashed the upside that intrigued the Knicks enough to nab him with the ninth overall pick in the 2018 draft. Over the five games, he shot a respectable 40% from the floor, which was an improvement from his efficiency last year.
GM Scott Perry unearthed a gem in the second round of the 2018 draft when he scooped up Mitchell Robinson, and the early returns on New York's 2019 second-rounder were also undeniably encouraging.
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