The Las Vegas Summer League's "regular season" ended on Wednesday, with the Knicks making one heck of a comeback from the NBA season to post an undefeated record.
Okay, so we probably shouldn't be judging a team's success in this event by whether or not they've won games. For instance, the Sixers -- the team that the Knicks defeated in overtime today -- went 0-3, but undoubtedly have to be pleased by what they saw from Jahlil Okafor compared to his performance in Utah. T.J. McConnell has also played well, and Scottie Wilbekin looks to be a guy that should be in the NBA next season. They found legitimate information out about guys who could be on their roster next season, and that's great.
But even separating the Knicks' record out from their performance, the organization has to be happy with what has occurred in the last five days. And largely, that will have to do with the performance of their two draftees in Vegas: Jerian Grant and Kristaps Porzingis.
Grant has been the team's star in their first three games, averaging nearly 12 points, five assists and three rebounds. He's been impossible to keep out of the lane, basically no matter how the defense plays him. If they are over-aggressive, he'll jab or crossover to get past the close out. If they play him soft, he's unafraid of jacking up a jump shot, which he's knocked down at a reasonable clip so far. It wouldn't be crazy to see him starting by the end of the 2015 calendar year, or possibly even sooner if the team starts going to a more pick-and-roll heavy attack, as suggested here by Chris Herring in the Wall Street Journal.
However, the latter of those two players is the one that obviously has gotten more of the headlines. Porzingis, the No. 4 overall pick in the draft that was unceremoniously booed upon being selected, has been pretty solid in his three outings. Yeah, the rebounding is a problem, and overall he's not strong enough to consistently get position both in the post and when boxing out. Those will especially be issues against better competition. Having said that, there has been a lot to like here. First and foremost, his jumper, especially on the move, has been strong. He's not only making catch-and-shoot jumpers with a quick release and picturesque mechanics, but he's also doing a good job of finding the soft spot in the rotating defense to get open looks.
Simply having him as a weapon to space the floor is going to be massive for the Knicks' offense when he's out there. Even if he doesn't produce, it's not hard to see a circumstance where the team is better when he's on the floor on that side of the ball simply due to how he helps clear the lane for attacking guards like Grant or slashing wings like Carmelo Anthony.
The place where Porzingis has been more encouraging, though, given his current weaknesses is on defense. Even without the strength to deal with bigger players purely on the block, he's a smart player that knows how to leverage his tremendous length to his benefit. Against Okafor on Tuesday, he adjusted midway through the game by fronting the big man instead of allowing him to establish position with him at his back. Then when Okafor did catch the ball, Porzingis understood how to use his verticality to his advantage, blocking three of Okafor's shots in the lane.
Despite the fact that he doesn't have enough strength to hold his spot inside, that doesn't necessarily make him soft either. Porzingis is a battler, willing to mix it up when he gets hit first. He's not going to be the guy to hit you first right now because of his body, but it's not hard to envision a time in the future where he could do that if he puts on about 20 pounds.
Now, all of this may not lead to immediate production at all from the 7-foot-2 Latvian. The struggles he'll have rebounding will be real while he continues to get stronger. He also has 14 fouls in 57 minutes of Summer League play so far, as he's still adjusting to the more physical game in the NBA. It wouldn't be crazy for him to only end up playing something like 10 minutes per game because of it.
But while there are still some very legitimate concerns here regarding his ability to contribute as a rookie, the Knicks should overall consider this debut to be a success for their new European.
MO NDOUR VERY WELL COULD MAKE THE KNICKS
The rookies have been the story for the Knicks even beyond the obvious suspects. Undrafted free agent Mo Ndour has been absolutely terrific in three games, and saved his best for Tuesday. He dropped 23 points and grabbed six rebounds, showing off both activity on the offensive glass as well as a solid mid-range jump shot. His motor on the offensive glass isn't the only thing worth noting though. His defensive ability has been great so far, as he's long -- with a 7-4 wingspan at 6-9 -- and extremely mobile, plus plays with an edge and a motor that never quits. Here's an example of that, where he blocked Okafor rather easily with those long arms.
It was the kind of performance when placed in conjunction with his other two of the week that will likely get him a camp invite in New York this year. The question here is whether or not he can make the team. The team only has 11 guaranteed contracts, plus the non-guaranteed deals of Ricky Ledo and Langston Galloway. So basically, the Knicks have some roster space with which to potentially take a flier on a guy like Ndour if he can continue to impress throughout traning camp.
If he keeps knocking down 18-footers and keeps playing with this kind of activity level, it's pretty easy to see how he can crack the roster.
NOAH VONLEH GOES OFF FOR PORTLAND
With LaMarcus Aldridge leaving town, one of Portland's most important pieces is now Noah Vonleh, the second-year forward out of Indiana acquired in the Nicolas Batum trade. Vonleh is one of those guys that has tremendous potential due to his athleticism and length, but also had a bit of a throwaway rookie season due to a glutted frontcourt in Charlotte and Steve Clifford's insistence to play vets.
The Hornets' loss is the Trail Blazers' gain though, as he could eventually be a legitimate player to build around with Damian Lillard if he can develop his game. That took a step in the right direction on Tuesday as Vonleh dropped 20 points and eight rebounds, doing so in about the most versatile way possible. He canned a 3-pointer from the outside, attacked a pair of closeouts leading to easy layups with really strong ball-handling ability, and then also did this to San Antonio's Cady Lalanne:
If Vonleh can begin to reach his potential this season, it may make the throwaway season in Portland that seems likely to occur a bit more palatable.
BRYCE COTTON MAKING HIS STATEMENT TO MAKE THE JAZZ
Bryce Cotton is on a non-guaranteed contract for the Utah Jazz for this upcoming season, so to say the past two weeks have been important is an understatement. Luckily for him, he's been performing extremely well.
Few players on this level can keep Cotton out of the paint, as the diminutive point guard is a veritable blur with the ball in his hands. But while he's always had that lightning quickness, Cotton has done a better job of slowing things down and reacting to what the defense gives him. If he can keep doing that in preseason and in training camp, he's going to force the Jazz's hand. Right now, they already have three point guards under contract in Dante Exum, Trey Burke and Raul Neto. But with Exum having the ability to play off ball and Burke being maddeningly inconsistent so far in his career, having an explosive guy like Cotton who can give you something different might make a lot of sense.
Right now, this kid looks like an NBA player. Whether he ends up playing for the Jazz or somewhere else is a question, but Cotton has been one of the unmitigated successes of Summer League this year.
