The New York Knicks Summer League team wrapped up a successful run in Las Vegas on Saturday night. New York’s team showed a good deal of talent and ability, winning three of their five contests, despite playing with only one first-round pick and one star second-rounder.
But records are irrelevant in Summer League. It’s more about what your younger prospects show in terms of their upside and potential. And New York had a few guys play well enough to possibly get themselves invited to the Knicks training camp in October. Let’s explore who stood out the most.
Tyler Kolek looked NBA-ready in Las Vegas over the last week or so. The 34th pick in the 2024 NBA Draft dished out a total of 35 assists and turned the ball over just five times in five games. He also averaged 9.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.2 steals in 27.2 minutes per contest. Oh, and he hit a game winning layup in a contest where he scored 21 points.
Specifically, Kolek proved to be an incredibly reliable free throw shooter (90.9 percent), but his three-point shot can definitely use a little work (31.6 percent), as can his defense.
And then there’s his passing. The former Marquette guard is at his best when he’s attacking and finding cutting teammates amidst the chaos of a motion offense. He demonstrated tremendous vision, once finding a teammate at the three-point line while doing a 360-degree jump pass from under the basket. The 23 year-old also proved to be very good at throwing lobs, despite there not really being any huge lob threats on the Summer League squad. That will not be the case in the regular season with Mitchell Robinson on the floor.
Kolek also passes well with both hands and showed the ability to fit the ball into tight spaces from the pocket, with the results often being delicate and subtle dimes.
In reality, Kolek will probably not become an All-Star. But he demonstrated an ability to run an offense, and he showed impressive passing skills in the pick-and-roll. He probably stamped his ticket to be on the regular season roster, and after his performances in Vegas, he may be in contention to be the team’s primary backup point guard.
What’s good for the goose isn’t always good for the gander. Rokas Jokubaitis has developed a small cult following among Knicks fans. He has demonstrated a complete game for FC Barcelona overseas, as well as for the Lithuanian national team. But the 23 year-old was overshadowed by another rookie point guard (Kolek) entering the 2024 Summer League.
Fortunately, Jokubaitis’ chance of making the Knicks roster isn’t tied to Kolek. They can keep both.
And Jokubaitis proved that he can play. The Knicks 2021 second-round draft pick averaged 9.8 points, 3.8 assists, 1.8 rebounds, and 3 turnovers in 19.1 minutes per game, and he played in all five games. What’s more, he connected on 50 percent of his eight three-point attempts.
Jokubaitis didn’t have a defining moment like Kolek, who had a few of them. Instead, and more importantly for head coach Tom Thibodeau, he demonstrated an ability to defend and run a team. That matters when it comes to playing spot minutes, especially come the NBA Playoffs.
Technically, Jokubaitis saved his best performance of Summer League for last. The Knicks gave their bench players more burn in the fifth game, and Jokubaitis stepped up. He tallied 12 points, five rebounds, and five assists in their win over the Atlanta Hawks on Saturday.
Where does that leave Jokubaitis? That’s anyone’s guess. But he showed enough to end up on a training camp roster. Hopefully it’s for the Knicks.
Dmytro Skapintsev was a pleasant surprise. He averaged 13 points, 7 rebounds, 1.4 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game while shooting 70 percent from the field and 78.3 percent from the free throw line. But his stats don’t tell the whole story. He showed a pretty fluid jump shot, connecting on a few deep two-pointers and open threes. And his touch and footwork around the rim looked above-average, too.
Like other Summer Leaguers, Skapintsev doesn’t have to play like an NBA starter, or even a regular backup, to earn a spot. But at the end of the day, can he be trusted with spot minutes? Over the five Summer League games, it looked increasingly like the answer to that question is yes.
The Knicks still need to fill out their 2024-25 roster. Much of the decisions around the final roster spots will be made in training camp. But getting an invitation there is a major victory for many of these players. Nothing is guaranteed, but building a name for yourself is an important first step. The three guys listed above all did that in spades. Now, the question becomes, how many of them can make the team’s regular season roster? We’ll know more in a few months.
