As they gear up for 2017 Orlando Summer League, the Knicks revealed their roster on Monday. Set to first take the court on Saturday, July 2, there are plenty of intriguing prospects to make note of.
Of course, there are some familiar faces: Chasson Randle, Maurice Ndour, and Marshall Plumlee are all carryovers from this year’s regular season squad. The Knicks hold team options on all three heading into next season. After letting him go in training camp, Randle excelled as a D-League affiliate player in Westchester enough to impress the 76ers. New York made sure to scoop him back up again when he became available midseason. Randle’s a pesky defender and can be explosive around the rim, but probably needs to develop refinement and utilize his vision more to make a bigger impact at the next level. Ndour is a high energy player who has shown promise in Summer League before, but there are likely more versatile and/or polished players out there to take a chance on. As for Plumlee, what you see is what you get as a physical defender and rebounder. He’s a capable third-string center and is well favored in the team’s locker room.
Louis Labeyrie, a 2014 draft and stash pick of the Knicks, will return for another go at Summer League action. Labeyrie arrives in the states having been named the 2017 Sixth Man of the French League. Still relatively young at 25 years old, he might garner consideration for a roster spot in the upcoming season. As New York looks to made evaluations, expect Labeyrie, Nigel Hayes, and Jamel Artis to all give chase and put pressure on Ndour for that incumbent regular season roster spot. The Knicks have experimented with Ndour, and there could simply more than meets the eye with any of the aforementioned three.
This will also be Frank Ntilikina’s first chance to show the Knicks what he’s made of and develop some rhythm with a handful of expectant teammates while receiving guidance for the coaching staff. It’ll be interesting to see him run an offense and feel out how his game (on both ends of the floor) translates to an NBA hardwood. He’ll be joined by fellow 2017 draftees Damyean Dotson and Ognjen Jaramaz.
Though Ron Baker could have benefited from this experience, he would risk injury as a restricted free agent if he were to play.
More so than ever before in Phil Jackson’s Knicks tenure, this is an opportunity to develop their youth and build up the organization’s ranks at the prospect level. It’s time to get younger and take chances on eclectic and unique talent. There are plenty of big league roster spots to fill. What’s more, New York has actually done a solid job of tapping into their talent stream down in Westchester over the years, so this is an opportunity to pinpoint players capable of experimenting with, so that New York can replenish the minor league pool and potentially take another look down the road.
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