Takeaways from the 2025 SummerKnicks

Not a memorable summer for the orange and blue.

In a past life, NBA Summer League was something exciting to look forward to. When the Knicks had lottery picks and built for the future with young players, it was an opportunity to see what they could do. Remember 2018 Kevin Knox? 2022 Quentin Grimes? For Knicks teams that had little short term hope, it was a way to hope for a brighter future.

It’s 2025 now. The Knicks have gone all-in and are officially championship-or-bust for the upcoming season. They made one pick, No. 51 overall, in the most recent draft. Their young core currently consists of sixth man Deuce McBride and a quartet of 2024 draftees that will struggle to crack the rotation come October. They’ve moved beyond the need for seriously evaluating Summer League.

And it showed. The Knicks went an incredibly underwhelming 1-4. They were a flat-out horrid watch in the first two games, won a gritty third game, came up just short in the fourth game, and were hilariously shorthanded by the fifth game. Many of the guys the average fan might care about missed the back half of Summer League with injury. Tyler Kolek was the only one of the top-five guys who played in every game.

Still, there are things we can take away, albeit with a grain of salt. None of these might matter for the Knicks heading into next season, but it’s something.

The Ups and Downs of Tyler Kolek

Tyler Kolek showed a lot of good and a lot of bad. In his first two games, he was ghastly, making bad decisions and shooting tour dates. In the lone win against the Nets, he had the most dominant half in recent SummerKnicks memory. In an overall choppy game against the Pacers, he single-handedly took over the fourth quarter with Brunson-esque moves that made the play-by-play guy jump out of his seat:

He couldn’t buy a three in four of the five games. He finished Summer League shooting a horrific 32% from the field and 17% from three. Granted, his supporting cast can similarly be described as ghastly, as the SummerKnicks primarily consisted of role player wings and extremely raw bigs, none of which can handle the ball. That led to a lot of broken possessions.

As for his playmaking, he didn’t post the flashy assist-to-turnover ratio that we hoped for, but part of that can be blamed on the team shooting checks notes 27.2% from deep in five games. In the Nets game alone, he could’ve easily had double digit assists. It’s a learning experience for the 24-year-old, who could use playing with better teammates in preseason as a better indicator of what he can provide to the 2025-26 Knicks.

McCullar, Dadiet Show Brief Flashes

Kevin McCullar Jr. and Pacome Dadiet both only lasted two games in Summer League, bowing out due to minor injuries ahead of the Nets’ game. In that time, both showed some flashes.

McCullar, who has barely played any basketball over the past 15 months, dropped 30 in his second game despite seven fouls and six turnovers. Some fans have equated him to a Walmart Josh Hart and you can kind of see it with the reckless abandonment and sheer aggression he plays basketball with. He was able to get to the rim a lot and I’m curious to see what the Knicks think about him going forward.

As for Dadiet, it’s nothing special but he showed improvement. He feels like a consistent jumpshot away from being a bench wing and apparently he’s impressed behind the scenes. His jumper was as inconsistent as ever in his two games, but he showed flashes of being on-ball and had his moments on some pull-up j’s. It’s a shame he got hurt, I wanted to see more.

Mohamed Diawara!

Is this a dude?

I talked about him in last week’s piece after the Nets game. His numbers don’t jump off the page, but he has crazy intangibles. When Diawara was drafted, nobody knew who he was and the film was spotty at best. Now? He looks closer to being ready than anyone could’ve foreseen.

He can handle the ball, make some crazy passes for a dude his size, and has the frame to be a talented wing defender. Guys who are 6-9, 225 with a 7’4” wingspan and 9’2” standing reach don’t grow on trees. Fantastic first impression for the No. 51 pick.

Ariel Hukporti Is A Step Ahead

Hukporti is, in my opinion, the most ready of the 2024 draftees. In Summer League, he did… not much. He played three games and had a combined 19 points and 23 rebounds, with his most impressive performance being his 9-13-3 game against the Celtics.

What I also noticed? He played a grand total of 56 minutes. The team didn’t think he had much to prove and I completely agree. With the way the roster is shaping out, he’s the third big behind KAT and Robinson. If both start, he could have an easy path to playing time, especially if he gets in the good graces of Mike Brown. Even if not, he’d be on the doorstep.

The State Of The Two-Way’s

The Knicks do not have a single player signed to a two-way contract as of Monday morning. They’re one of two teams who have all three slots empty. They’ll also need to sign a young guy to a standard contract by Opening Night. Decisions, decisions.

McCullar was extended a two-way qualifying offer, but the team could absolutely sign him to the second-round exception if he shows enough in training camp. Alternatively, the spot could go to Diawara, who seems to have at least secured a two-way.

That leaves the last two spots for a few guys. Dink Pate, signed to an Exhibit 10 contract, had a rough start before coming on in the second half against the Pacers on Thursday and scoring 20 on Saturday. He might be worth stashing in Westchester. They could also keep James Nnaji, who was unremarkable in three games but has committed to making it work in America. There’s also MarJon Beauchamp, who rebounded from a brutal start to the summer with some great performances late. He and Anton Watson, who were on two-way’s last year, are eligible to re-sign.