How James Wiseman, Drew Eubanksand Tony Bradley continue to fight to become the third center on Nix‘ list at the back Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummondhead coach Mike Brown told reporters on Monday that deciding which player to keep would be difficult, trans Christian Winfield of The New York Daily News.
“They should all be on the list this year” – said Brown. “There’s no experimentation in my opinion. All of these guys are legitimate NBA players. They’re all great guys and I see each of them contributing in some way, and it’s not going to be an easy decision.”
Wiseman, Eubanks and Bradley all Exhibition 9 contracts that will convert to standard contracts with a non-guaranteed minimum salary if they make the prime-time roster. Technically, the Knicks, who have 13 players under guaranteed contracts, have the ability to keep two of them without making any related transactions, but that would cause the team’s payroll to exceed the second tax bracket, the team owner James Dolan said it won’t happen. So, in all likelihood, only one of the three will make the team, and that one spot remains very much a possibility.
“I’ve been to a lot of training camps and collectively, this is probably — when I say best, I’m not saying most talented — this is the best group of centers I’ve been around.” – said Brown. “They all bring something different to the table.”
We have more on the Knicks:
- Pakome DadietThe 25th pick in the 2024 draft, has logged just 247 minutes since entering the NBA two years ago. If he’s going to play an increased role in the 2026-27 season, the third-year French forward must be ready to rebound if he gets an open look from beyond the arc, Brown said this weekend (story via Winfield). “First, it’s obvious he’s shooting at it, so he can’t be afraid to let it fly.” Coach Nix said. “He’s got to adjust his body right away, whatever, and as soon as that thing gets in his hands, if he has any room at all, at 6-foot-7 or 6-foot-8, whatever he is — boom, let him fly. Have confidence in that.” According to Winfield, before the draft Dudiet was considered a good three-point shooter, but since joining the Knicks, he has made only 13 of 51 (25.5%) attempts.
- James L. Edwards III of The Athletic takes a look at the Knicks’ potential regular-season rotation, projecting it into the second year ahead Mohammed Diawara to join Jose Alvarado, Landry Shamet, Miles McBrideand Drummond as regulars behind the usual five starters. Edwards also projects Shamet will play more minutes than McBride and says he still sees Wiseman as the favorite for the third center spot.
- Fred Katz of The Athletic explores how a firm stance of never crossing the threshold of the second apron could affect the Knicks’ future development. As Katz points out, treating the second apron as a de facto hard cap and working against it means the team already faces some of the same limitations as a second apron club, including the near-impossibility of using the mid-level taxpayer exemption.
