The New York Knicks closed out their Summer League run on a sour note, losing to the Washington Wizards 85-94. New York finishes Summer League going 1-4 and will now officially transition into next season’s preparations.
Dink Pate and Anton Watson showcased hot shooting for the Knicks
Dink Pate and Anton Watson were the stars for New York in the Summer League finale. Both players had their best individual performances of Summer League, showing off incredible scoring from the perimeter.
Watson led all Knicks scorers with 21 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the floor and 5-for-8 from three-point range. He also grabbed six rebounds and three assists while showing off his incredible range from outside, putting on a strong showing as he looks to grab a two-way spot on the roster.
Pate, another two-way candidate, also put on a strong scoring display. He finished with a double-double, scoring 20 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. He shot 7-for-12 from the floor and 4-for-7 from beyond the arc, and his versatility at such a young age makes him a project worth taking an investment in.
Despite their hot shooting, they were unable to secure the win after the Wizards got 25 points from Dillon Jones. As a team, Washington made 11 three-pointers on 29 attempts (37.9%).
Mohamed Diawara showed off his potential in a big way
Mohamed Diawara, the Knicks’ lone draft pick from this year’s draft, flashed a lot of potential in his Summer League stint. In Saturday’s game against the Wizards, Diawara scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds in 23 minutes of action.
Diawara showed a great handle driving into the lane and consistently made the right reads. He displayed a solid playmaking touch with his drive-and-kicks and could be a candidate to secure a contract with the NBA Knicks.
At his size, New York could use his versatile skillset to develop into a potentially big rotation piece down the road. He could benefit from playing in Westchester with the G-League as well as observing the NBA landscape this upcoming season.
Overview
With Summer League now in the books, the Knicks will look to finalize their roster and get ready for next season. There are several key names to keep an eye on until October, and it will be interesting to see if anyone from Summer League lands a potentially big role.
!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(“has-featured-video”,”true”)})}();