Knicks gettin’ it right ... the second time
LAS VEGAS – Sometimes, the Knicks can do something right. Lately that’s been secondround picks. This goes back to Phil Jackson with Willy Hernangomez and Damyean Dotson. Hardly stars, but serviceable. More impressive was Scott Perry’s pick last year of Mitchell Robinson, who emerged as an All-Rookie selection with upside as an alley-oop machine and rim protector.
Perry’s latest pick in the second round – Ignas Brazdeikis – left a very encouraging impression Sunday in the Knicks’ Summer League loss to the Suns.
Not only did he drop 30 points with eight boards in 32 minutes, Brazdeikis got ‘Iggy With It’ when turning a crossover into a game-tying 3-pointer with 24 seconds left in regulation of the OT loss to the Suns.
Afterward, the Canadian — by way of Lithuania — exhumed confidence.
“I’m a guy who always believes in myself fully,” he said. “Every time I step on the court I feel I’m the best player. There’s no doubt in my mind.”
Since it was only Summer League, Brazdeikis’ “best on the court” claim can fly as plausible. That’ll change once the regular season starts and the 6-7 forward has to guard the NBA’s gauntlet of versatile wings.
In the meantime, Brazdeikis is having fun and playing well — at least through two games. The opener wasn’t nearly as impressive for Brazdeikis, who managed just five points in 18 minutes.
Knicks summer league coach Jud Buechler appreciated Brazdeikis’ chutzpah.
He’s a fighter, he’s a scrapper, he’s not afraid of anything or anyone,” Buechler said.
The Knicks have Brazdeikis locked up for three years with a team option. They paid the Kings to move up from 55th to 47th to pick the 20-year-old.
As a freshman at Michigan, he averaged 14.8 points while shooting 39.2% from beyond the arc. He’s a gunner but also big enough to play forward. If his 3-pointer is falling, Brazdeikis has a future in the NBA.
His weaknesses include a lack of athleticism and defense, but he said Sunday the most difficult adjustment to the NBA was floor spacing. He improved drastically between the two games in Summer League.
“It’s a lot different (in the NBA). The three-second rule, too. In college basketball it’s so compact and everyone’s in the paint that it’s hard to get in there. Here, it’s a lot different,” he said. “I feel like that’s something I wasn’t used to the first game. I was like, ‘Damn, there’s a lot more space than I’m usually used to.’ I came into (Sunday’s) game thinking just trust your instincts, play and be who you are and that’s what I did.”
In Summer League, at least, Brazdeikis has the green light. “Coach Fiz talked to me, he said you’ve just got to be yourself and no one else,” Brazdeikis said. “Don’t be afraid to be aggressive, don’t be afraid to make your plays, do what you do. I really appreciated that. With that kind of freedom I felt that I had the ability.”
LAS VEGAS — They’re just two Summer League games. Perspective is necessary and should be the warning to every word in this story.
But there’s no denying RJ Barrett has struggled in his 63 total minutes. Sunday night’s performance in the Knicks’ 105-100 loss to the Suns was the second dud for the third overall pick, a sloppy outing that included 3-for-15 shooting and eight turnovers.
In the two combined games, Barrett is shooting 7-for-33 with many more turnovers (10) than assists (2). He did grab 10 rebounds on Sunday and record a clutch block down the stretch.
“RJ’s figuring it out,’’ Knicks summer league coach Jud Buechler said. “There’s been a ton of pressure on him, especially the hype of the first game against Zion. He did some great things, bunch of rebounds, a defensive run. His shooting and all that will come. We’re not worried about that. We’re telling him to stay aggressive and it will come around.”
The misfiring shot, while not encouraging, can easily be cast aside as part of an insignificant small sample size. Anybody can have poor shooting nights. He’s only 19 and, again, it’s two Summer League games. His struggles to create space, get past his defenders and adjust to the speed of