Former Lakers first round pick Dalton Knechtnow in a bilateral deal with Nixmade a strong impression in his New York debut. Knecht had 10 points, seven rebounds and a block in 16 minutes against Chicago on Wednesday.
“He’s a scorer. He’s not just a shooter. … He can go and get it.” coach Mike Brown said, trans SNY’s Ian Begley. “He can shoot from distance, he has a mid-range game, he can get to the rim and he can pass.
“He has to work defensively and I thought tonight he tried to play inside and contributed as much as he could.” Brown added. “There were a few things defensively that he could have done a little better and that’s something he really needs to focus on, but I thought he gave us a nice little lift, especially offensively when he played late in the first half.”
Here’s more on the Knicks:
- A notable rotation switch in the Bulls’ 30-point outburst was the usage Tyler Kolek above Jose Alvarado as a backup point guard, Jared Schwartz of the New York Post observes. Kolek played six minutes in the second quarter, and also came off the bench in the third. Alvarado didn’t play until garbage time in the fourth quarter. “I’ve said it before, every position coming off the bench is competition, all the time,” Brown said. “No one’s minutes are set in stone. … Jose had the first opportunity in our last game. And then I gave Tyler the opportunity in the second half (against the Nets on Monday) and Tyler played well.” Kolek is under contract for $2.3 million and the team has an option on his deal through 2027/28.
- Mine Jalen Brunson achieved “face of the NBA” status? The Peter Bothe of the New York Post addresses the issue in a subscriber-only story, noting that the reigning NBA Finals MVP has become a transcendent figure in pop culture outside of basketball, unlike the Thunder guard and two-time MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
- Landry Shamet has an uncanny talent to create shutouts as a perimeter threat that often lead to productive possessions, James Edwards III of The Athletic writes. Edwards notes that defenders flew past him on 131 shutouts last season, including the regular season and playoffs. The Knicks averaged 1.38 points in those games, according to Second Spectrum. Only two more players – Luke Kennard and Duncan Robinson — according to Edwards, were more effective on shutouts, leading their teams to points.
