NBA Summer League 2019

Knicks lose 105-100. Iggy with a 30 pt night, looked like an NBA starter playing against rookies showing a multifaceted offensive game with dribble penetration, shooting from distance, under the basket game, knocking down his FT's. If Iggy turns out to be another surprise draft pick by Perry we're on our way with this re-build.

RJ just the opposite, looked lost on the floor, couldn't hit anything, forcing shots inside, turning the ball over, getting stripped and losing the ball. Supposedly his whirlwind schedule after the draft has not allowed him to practice sufficiently as the reason for his poor SL so far.

Broadway said:

IG is nice, I really like his game. He plays with BITE...A MOTOR. Again our 2nd round picks out playing our 1st. Taketh then Giveth

RJ is just pressing, if I were him I'd work on attacking the rim and trying to get to free throw line to establish rhythm. His shot is definitely not there. Not as concerned with him he just a little lost on what to do. Once he stops thinking and just play more freely he'll be fine

Knox otoh not encouraged at all by his game. He's literally the exact same player. If his 3-ball is on cool other than this he's pretty worthless. Never liked the pick no Motor, slow, gases out of games and is nothing more than a perimeter safety valve. Miles Bridges might be better

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His perimeter shooting looks improved, we will see over the course of a couple of months in the season whether that’s true. He’s a favorite of Fiz so he’s going to get every opportunity to start in a continuation of last season.

Getting Iggy with it. The 2 second rounder (Mitch and Iggy) were the only redeemable performances tonight.

I see what could be with Knox and RJ... but... if it happens... it?s in 2-3 years. RAW!

We had 4 rotation players and we lost to a PHO squad that probably didn?t have many roster guys on the floor tonight. Not good. 0-2. Lol.

If Randle and DSJ ain?t dynamite... this is another 20 win campaign.

mafra said:

Getting Iggy with it. The 2 second rounder (Mitch and Iggy) were the only redeemable performances tonight.

I see what could be with Knox and RJ... but... if it happens... it’s in 2-3 years. RAW!

We had 4 rotation players and we lost to a PHO squad that probably didn’t have many roster guys on the floor tonight. Not good. 0-2. Lol.

If Randle and DSJ ain’t dynamite... this is another 20 win campaign.

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Pretty sure Randle is the real deal and won’t disappoint.

DSJ was very confident and encouraging when saying he had improved on his most conspicuous weakness, his shooting. I’d like to see him become at least a 75% ft shooter as well this season.

Payton in 4 years is still a crappy shooter so that’s the area DSJ can edge him out for the starting spot.

I remember you called RJ the Maple Mamba, he’s definitely got some of the Black Mamba in him with 2 dimes in 2 games and a team high 33 shots taken. Unfortunately, he can’t put the ball in the hole like Kobe did yet.

It would be nice if Knox did anything else well other than try to score. RJ shot terribly again, but he had 10 rebounds. A couple of our other guys are much better defenders than Knox. Looking at Knox and Iggy last night, it?s hard to believe one guy started in the NBA last season and the other guy is playing in his 2nd Summer League game.

RJ is 2-8 from FT line and 2-13 from behind the arc... 7-33 shooting overall.... has about 14 turnovers to 2 assists.

Meanwhile, second rounder Iggy scores 30 and looks like Dan Majerle.

?We?ve seen it all week in practice,?? Buechler said. ?I worked with him in LA. He?s a fighter, scrapper. Not afraid of anything, anyone. He?s going to be great.??

RJ did have a nice block at end of regulation... Knox has made some passes and defensive plays and his shooting from deep appears more consistent... not a huge improvement but he does look slightly better... it?s just that he is very passive... no ?dawg? in that body. Oh, and Knox still can?t dribble.

?He?s one of the best players I?ve ever seen, so it?s only a matter of time before he starts being himself, getting buckets,?? said Brazdeikis, Barrett?s teammate on Team Canada. ?There?s literally no doubt in my mind and very soon, too.?

Doris Burke, htr10 and now Coach Beuchler heaping praise on the kid. Could it be that Perry has pulled off another steal and drafted a 1st rounder late in the second. I’d love for Iggy to be our version of the Cavs Dylan Windler who I’m high on.

tiger0330 said:

Doris Burke, htr10 and now Coach Beuchler heaping praise on the kid. Could it be that Perry has pulled off another steal and drafted a 1st rounder late in the second. I’d love for Iggy to be our version of the Cavs Dylan Windler who I’m high on.

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The NBA draft is bizarre. You draft lottery picks based on projected upside and you draft late 1st and 2nd round picks based on how they actually play the game now. If your GM pays attention, which Perry seems to do, you can keep hitting on solid rotation guys in either the 2nd round or after the draft.

Problem is that you need your lottery guys (RJ, Knox, etc.) to actually hit every once in a while as well.

Iggy has it all... size, athleticism, attitude. He can score in a myriad of ways. He can pass and set up others.

He?s a steal in round too.

But let?s not ignore how atrocious he was in defense last night. He didn?t just go under screens, he disappeared (allowing the most wide open 3 attempts you?ll ever see).

Odd that Perry hits homers in the second round... but his lottery selections betray him.

I see if there for RJ and Knox... but they won?t have an impact on W/L for next 2 seasons. They have at minimum a 2 year maturation process.

MRob and Iggy ready to make impact now. Although each may be more 1-dimensional than we realize.

mafra said:

If Randle and DSJ ain?t dynamite... this is another 20 win campaign.

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Relax. We dominated summer league a few years back and were still shyte that year. Success in summer league means nothing. I am not saying that we will have any success next year, but I wouldn't base my prediction on one preseason game. We are going to blow.

I have the game on DVR I was watching US vs Mexico from Soldier Field my son-in-law was there. I will reserve my comments for after I watch the game but sounds like the big knock on RJ is true: he can?t shoot. Hmmmm

I wrote that tongue in check.... Just funny the pain never ends for us NYK fans. Where have I seen us blow a lead, make a fake comeback, only to collapse at end? Sounds familiar.

PHO probably didn?t have a top 10 player on their squad and we had arguably 4... and still lost. Just more pain for us...

RJ has shoot well in past... struggles at Duke and struggling now. He looks like the type to put the work in.

But, again, RJ and Knox probably need 2 seasons each to even become remotely what we hope they can become...

RJ needs to work and Knox needs to grow a pair.

Report that Dennis Smith Jr working with CP3 in Las Vegas... working on seeing floor, running offense, leadership.

Good to see all the kids working hard.

mafra said:

Report that Dennis Smith Jr working with CP3 in Las Vegas... working on seeing floor, running offense, leadership.

Good to see all the kids working hard.

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I read that, CP3 may not have the game he once had but there isn’t a more heady PG for him to learn from plus he’s in the gym with Coach Smart for shooting lessons. First place I think we see results is at the FT line, elite PG’s do not shoot 65%. Always been a DSJ fan and while I expect that guys are going to work on their games, this tells me he’s coachable and has the desire to want to be elite.

htr10 said:

It would be nice if Knox did anything else well other than try to score. RJ shot terribly again, but he had 10 rebounds. A couple of our other guys are much better defenders than Knox. Looking at Knox and Iggy last night, it?s hard to believe one guy started in the NBA last season and the other guy is playing in his 2nd Summer League game.

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The team is deeper this yr compared to last. Fiz will not want to lose gms at the same clip. I do not believe for one sec some of these guys will have the same amount of rope. Knox better do more than shoot the 3 and fade out of gms. I don't care how high any of our fans are on any particular player it's pure logic to understand "all of them won't peak this yr nor be good"...there will be some who rise to the occasion and some who won't.

They?ll be a lot of empty stats, too.

But Dennis Smith Jr and Julius Randle primary duo has to be an upgrade over Hardway & Kanter. How much do?

Reggie Bullock or Courtney Lee?
Payton or Mudiay?
Portis or Vonleh?
Gibson or Thomas?
Iggy or Kornet?
Ellington or Super Mario?

So, Knox, Mitch, and Trier are a year wiser. Knits and Dotson in their make/break campaigns, with the addition of RJ and Iggy...

Is having slight upgrades across the board enough to propel this team into relevancy?

Only if the sum is greater than its parts, right?

All about that Woo-Woo Wooten.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/nypost...-stud-may-be-knicks-next-undrafted-steal/amp/

Ian Begley, SNY.tv | Twitter |

LAS VEGAS - If you're making sweeping conclusions about RJ Barrett after two Summer League games, you're overreacting.

"Of course the Knicks would like to see him come out and dominate in these games against guys who won't be in the NBA. That's what you'd expect from the No. 3 pick. But there's no reason to sound any alarms," one veteran scout said Monday. "He's 19 and this is what Summer League - and his rookie season, really - is for. It's about development and getting comfortable on an NBA floor."

With that said, it's fair to analyze what Barrett has done on the floor thus far. He's shooting a combined 7-for-33 with 10 turnovers and two assists.

Dozens of scouts and execs watched Barrett's first two games in Vegas. We asked a few to discuss what they've seen so far from the rookie:


Scout: "I haven't seen him play fast or really blow off the floor on a drive yet. He hasn't looked explosive off the dribble. Maybe some of that is due to a layoff between his college games and Summer League games. But he wasn't overly fast at Duke. He did well in bullying opponents with his size and strength at that level. Can that translate well to the NBA? Or will he need to make adjustments? That's another reason to not get overly excited about two Summer League games. He's going to gain strength and can get faster over time."

Scout: "I've watched RJ since he was in high school and he always plays extremely hard. And despite his shooting struggles, we've seen that in his first two games in Vegas. Look at his (10) rebounds from the other night. He has a great motor. That's why I think he'll reach his potential at this level - whatever that ultimately is. I'm not worried about him putting in the work to maximize his talent."

Scout: "He's gotten some decent looks from the perimeter but his shot doesn't have a ton of arc and seems heavy. Maybe some of that is nerves, but the looks have been there for him. He's also forced some shots and missed open teammates. You'd think those reads come with experience."

Scout: "He's looked a little stiff at times in these first two games. Is that because of nerves? Or is that what he is? I didn't see a lot of bouncy athleticism from him in the first two games. Maybe that was just a product of him being a bit nervous. I'm not sure."

Scout: "There's no reason to get caught up too much in Summer League in general, particularly after just two games. What you can't measure with these guys - what we don't see in the stands or on tape - is what's inside of them. Their heart. What drives them. Are they obsessed with being great? Or are they content with making NBA money? Does that make them complacent? You get the sense that RJ is the kind of person that's driven to be great. But that's one of those variables that we can't measure."

When it was over Sunday night, Suns players basked in their overtime victory over the Knicks. They privately made comments about how much easier it was to guard the much-hyped 6-foot-7 sniper RJ Barrett than they thought, according to an NBA source.

The Suns made Barrett look bad ? just as the Pelicans did. The common refrain is summer league is not to be taken too seriously, but the Knicks have usually seen their recent lottery picks shine in this spotlight.

According to sources, some members of the Knicks? staff held concern about Barrett?s ability to translate his offensive game to the NBA because he relied so much on driving the ball, but GM Scott Perry was always all-in on a player who last July was being heralded as the No. 1 pick for the 2019 draft.

?The concern was if he?d be able to get around guys in the NBA,?? the personnel director said. ?And if he didn?t, he?d use his shoulder (to get space) and the weakside (defense) would come on him fast. The weakside comes fast in the NBA. So if he?s not getting by guys he?d have to become a better 3-point shooter.?

That can happen with hard work, but Barrett also has an intangible that the personnel director likes.

?The good thing is he has a lot of swagger and really believes in himself, and that?s going to help him,?? he said. ?Maybe it?s just time, but you expect more right away from a No. 3 pick.?

Knicks summer-league coach Jud Buechler says he?s not worried about Barrett?s shooting and praised his defense with a late block vs. Phoenix and 10 rebounds.

?It?s summer league, but there?s a lot of hype and pressure around RJ,? said another NBA scout. ?He?s talented, but seems to be pressing. Shooting is his big issue and many factors go into a guy making shots, especially getting used to a new team and new level. At Duke, he was not efficient. That will be his challenge ? efficiency. He will be at first a streaky shooter and efficiency should follow. He?s talented, but there?s no guarantees when his efficiency will kick in and how high a level.??

It?s probably no time to panic, but former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy?s old mantra is this: If a rookie draft pick dominates summer league, it may mean nothing. If a player doesn?t shine at summer league, it is a concern. Perry and Knicks president Steve Mills watched the Phoenix game stone-faced from their courtside seats.

Van Gundy was Knicks head coach in 1999 for the infamous Frederic Weis summer-league fiasco when the rookie first-round pick?s poor play elicited a front page headline in The Post: ?French Toast.?? The center never played a single game in the NBA.

?RJ should be just fine,?? said another NBA personnel man. ?Just let?s pump the brakes and be patient. What he?s going through right now will help him come October.??

Knicks coach David Fizdale has not been made available to the media for summer league nor has Mills/Perry.

Buechler said after the Suns? loss, ?The shooting will come ? we?re not worried about that. We?re telling him to say aggressive, and as you can tell, he?s not backing away at all. He believes in it. We believe in it and it will come??

(NY Post)

Its 2 summer league games but if he looks like this for all 4 I'd be mildly concerned.

Guys that are 3d picks are supposed to dominate a mostly ragtag group of NBA wannabes playing in SL. The corollary is a star in summer league is no guarantee to be a star in the NBA but I can't remember a case where a high pick like RJ hasn't shown glimpses of stardom in SL, RJ has looked awful but the likelihood that RJ has a breakout game soon like his teammate Iggy predicted is high.