Knicks continue to build, move forward under Leon Rose
Knicks guard Jalen Brunson dribbles upcourt in the second quarter in Game 5 of the NBA Eastern Conference Semifinals on May 14 at Madison Square Garden. Credit: Newsday/J. Conrad Williams Jr.
As a handful of hopefuls tried to catch the eye of the Knicks’ brass in the team’s first game of the Las Vegas Summer League, president Leon Rose sat across from the team bench with a defensive duo on each side of him, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges.
Rose is a fan favorite right now, especially after guiding the franchise to three playoff berths in his four seasons atop the organization.
And certainly after finishing off a flurry of moves in the last two weeks that included trading for Bridges, signing Anunoby to a five-year contract and signing Jalen Brunson to a four-year contract extension.
The deal with Brunson, a $156.5 million extension that gave him financial security and the team salary-cap flexibility in the coming seasons, is the biggest story of the Knicks’ offseason. It not only secures Brunson for four more seasons but saves the Knicks $37 million in cap space starting with the 2025-26 season.
But the other moves — the guys sitting around Rose — are just as important to what the team hopes to accomplish moving forward. The Knicks had just a half-season of Anunoby and have just acquired Bridges, and the two will give the team as good a wing duo as there is in the NBA, perhaps the best since prime Kawhi Leonard and Paul George when they arrived with the Clippers.
“I think it’s great for the team and I think defensively it makes it easier to do a lot of things,” Bridges said last week.
“I was excited when OG signed that. A lot of money. I always tease him when I see him about that. Like, let me hold a dollar.
“But I just know what OG brings. And obviously everybody else, just talking about OG now. But that’s my guy. We kind of developed a relationship over the years. Acknowledging each other and knowing what we do for our respective teams. It’s great having him out there.”
Speaking of the $212 million deal that Anunoby signed, Brunson and Josh Hart joked on their podcast, “The Roommates Show,’’ that when they tried to reach him, he had just gotten off his helicopter and arrived at his new mansion.
Anunoby, in the back corridors of the Thomas and Mack Center, laughed when this was recounted to him. “No,’’ he said, “I don’t have a helicopter.”
Kolek impresses
When the Knicks lost to the Hornets, 92-88, in their first Summer League action, they saw an impressive performance by the player on the squad most likely to find a crack in the rotation this season.
Tyler Kolek, the second-round pick from Marquette, quickly showed that what the Knicks believed when they drafted him is what he appears to be. He had seven points, seven rebounds and seven assists and was the hard-nosed floor general the Knicks were seeking.
“Yeah, I’m just trying to come in and do whatever [coach Tom Thibodeau] asks me to do,” Kolek said. “Just keep my head down, do what he asks me to do. I’m a worker . . . That’s my calling card. I’m going to be in the gym, I’m going to get better. Really whatever the team needs, what the coach needs, that’s what I’m going to do.”
The Knicks certainly are secure at the starting point guard spot, but last season they searched for someone to organize the second unit in the few minutes that Jalen Brunson would take off. In Kolek, the Knicks hope they have found a player who fits that mold.
Deuce McBride was a key contributor, but more as a defensive specialist and a shooter — sort of an undersized 3-and-D player.
The first impression of Kolek was a good one as he got teammates involved rather than look for his own offense. And he is a dangerous shooter and scorer.
“Very unselfish, great floor game,” Knicks Summer League coach Dice Yoshimoto said. “Tough, smart and obviously a winner.”
There have been comparisons made between Kolek’s game and that of Pacers point guard TJ McConnell. Josh Hart has referred to McConnell as, well, let’s just say he doesn’t enjoy playing against him.
“He plays hard, he plays tough,” Kolek said of McConnell. “I’ve got to be that scrappy junkyard dog as well. I guess you can say that. I admire his game. Anyone in the league, I look for things I can pull from.”
But he believes a better comparison is the player whom he will be facing in training camp and practices: Brunson.
Said Kolek, “I can learn from him.”
Welcome to the NBA
The Knicks' first-round pick, Pacome Dadiet, shot 2-for-8, including a pair of air balls from beyond the arc. He said the speed of the game was an adjustment and also the distance of the three-point line.
“I’m not sure of the difference,” Dadiet said. “In Europe it’s in meters.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.