​The Knicks may have unearthed another reliable long-range shooter in their rotation. Second-round pick Tyler Nickel drained four more 3-pointers on 11 attempts in Tuesday’s 70-49 Summer League defeat to the San Antonio Spurs in Las Vegas. He had gone 6-for-10 from beyond the arc in Friday’s Summer League opener, another setback for a Knicks summer squad that has struggled to generate consistent scoring. Through two games in Las Vegas, Nickel has converted 10 of 21 attempts from deep, a 47.6 percent clip, placing him among the league leaders in made threes and ranking near the top in 3-point percentage for players with at least five attempts. The Vanderbilt product, who shot 40 percent from three in his final three college seasons, led New York with 16 points against the Spurs on Sunday, following an 18-point performance in his debut against the Nets. If there’s anything the Knicks, who embraced a pace-and-space ethos under head coach Mike Brown, won’t complain about, it’s more 3-point shooting from the bench. Nickel has yet to sign a rookie contract with New York, and the club has room for only one more minimum deal beneath the $222 million second apron. The most likely route appears to be a two-way contract for Nickel, giving the 22-year-old forward an opportunity to log minutes and develop in Westchester. He could emerge as another late-round find for a front office led by Leon Rose, following the selections of Ariel Hukporti, Mohamed Diawara, and Miles McBride on Day 2 of the NBA Draft.
The Knicks also added 20-year-old German guard Jack Kayil, selected 39th overall, in a draft-night deal with the Houston Rockets. Kayil did not play in the Summer League opener but produced 12 points on 5-of-14 shooting in 21 minutes off the bench on Saturday. Like Nickel, Kayil is less likely to secure a guaranteed contract and could be a candidate for a Westchester two-way assignment. The 6-3 combo guard showed poise and court vision with three assists and even rattled off back-to-back triples after a slow start.
Pacome Dadiet continued to struggle from three, going 1-for-6 from deep on Saturday while finishing with 13 points on 4-for-12 shooting overall. He had shot 1-for-7 from deep in Friday’s loss to the Nets yet finished with 20 points and seven rebounds, including four offensive boards, in that game. Mohamed Diawara did not score in Saturday’s loss to the Spurs, going 0-for-5 from the field and 0-for-3 from deep. San Antonio’s reserve big man Carter Bryant contributed 19 points and two blocks in the win.
Through two games, the Knicks have managed just 114 total points, with the offense stuttering in several stretches, notably a 7-point second quarter on Saturday and a 9-point third quarter on Friday. New York will look to right the ship in their next outing, as they are scheduled to face the Detroit Pistons in the third of four Las Vegas games on Monday. After that, they’ll wrap up the quartet of games with a matchup that should draw additional attention in the analysis and coverage going forward.