Knicks · Knicks 2026 Draft Class is Jack Kayil & Tyler Nickel (page 2)

newyorknewyork wrote:

Knixkik wrote:Kayil had an early second round grade and offers some upside as a “jack” of all trades, master of none. At 6’4ish, he has good combo guard size. Not sure where he fits in on the roster with so many guards under contract. He could be a draft-and-stash, a minimum second round exception guy, or a 2-way contract. But there’s a world where he can eventually be a good bench secondary playmaker.

Nickel is a Merrill/ Hauser type shooter. Shooters are always needed. Probably more of a 2-way contract guy but that’s fine. Maybe he finds a roster spot due to the Knicks financial situation and the fact that he’s an older rookie with an nba ready skill.

Clearly the Knicks had no interest in any center. This either tells us they are trying to find a path forward with Mitch, or they really love Hukporti, or they feel comfortable they will add good center depth via free agency or trade. But center has quickly become the most important hole on this roster to fill. The biggest questions are what the Knicks do at center and what their goal is with the second apron. The draft answered neither question.

I will say, Diawara, Kayil and Nickel headlining summer league should be a fun group. Knicks adding 2 quality role player prospects plus a bunch of future second round picks (and let’s not forget 3 draft rights guys) isn’t a home run draft, but seems like a solid single.

Their moves heavily point to them looking to retain Mitch while still being under the 2nd apron. The fact they didn't go big man in the 2nd round though says that they have plans for Huk who will probably sign a multi year deal similar to Mo.

Knicks could of had Carr & Reed(given what the Spurs offered for him at #26). Who could of been rotational bench pieces locked in rookie contracts for the next 4 years. So for them to not go this route tells us they are all in on retaining Mitch while staying under the 2nd apron.

The 2nds they acquired also could be useful if for whatever reason they needed to package some of them to dump a contract.

McCullar/Nickel seem like nice complimentary pieces for each others games. Same for Mo & Huk.

Hopefully we get to see them all grow together.

I did the updated math on the second apron thread. It still likely comes down to Mitch or shamet, but you never know.

Knixkik wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:

Knixkik wrote:Kayil had an early second round grade and offers some upside as a “jack” of all trades, master of none. At 6’4ish, he has good combo guard size. Not sure where he fits in on the roster with so many guards under contract. He could be a draft-and-stash, a minimum second round exception guy, or a 2-way contract. But there’s a world where he can eventually be a good bench secondary playmaker.

Nickel is a Merrill/ Hauser type shooter. Shooters are always needed. Probably more of a 2-way contract guy but that’s fine. Maybe he finds a roster spot due to the Knicks financial situation and the fact that he’s an older rookie with an nba ready skill.

Clearly the Knicks had no interest in any center. This either tells us they are trying to find a path forward with Mitch, or they really love Hukporti, or they feel comfortable they will add good center depth via free agency or trade. But center has quickly become the most important hole on this roster to fill. The biggest questions are what the Knicks do at center and what their goal is with the second apron. The draft answered neither question.

I will say, Diawara, Kayil and Nickel headlining summer league should be a fun group. Knicks adding 2 quality role player prospects plus a bunch of future second round picks (and let’s not forget 3 draft rights guys) isn’t a home run draft, but seems like a solid single.

Their moves heavily point to them looking to retain Mitch while still being under the 2nd apron. The fact they didn't go big man in the 2nd round though says that they have plans for Huk who will probably sign a multi year deal similar to Mo.

Knicks could of had Carr & Reed(given what the Spurs offered for him at #26). Who could of been rotational bench pieces locked in rookie contracts for the next 4 years. So for them to not go this route tells us they are all in on retaining Mitch while staying under the 2nd apron.

The 2nds they acquired also could be useful if for whatever reason they needed to package some of them to dump a contract.

McCullar/Nickel seem like nice complimentary pieces for each others games. Same for Mo & Huk.

Hopefully we get to see them all grow together.

I did the updated math on the second apron thread. It still likely comes down to Mitch or shamet, but you never know.

Possible, but if it was Shamet. They could have drafted Reed to cover potentially needing C depth, and still had money for him since his payout should be less than Mitch.

Anything can happen when FA starts. See IHart situation from years ago. And they get no choice but to choose Shamet. Very possible they simply wanted to put themselves in position to keep one of them without committing at the draft. Which would suck if we still lose out based off what we could have had. Low probability though that happens.

If Shamet does end up being the guy that stays. Would have to use the vet min market for a C. Our bench shooting would be pretty damn strong though.

gradyandrew wrote:How much is Kristaps gonna get in FA? If Robinson goes can Leon convince Dolan to welcome KP home?

Knicks don't have cap space to sign anyone outside of vet min. Only reason we can give Mitch and/or Shamet contracts is because we have their bird rights.

Knicks can offer the tax payer mle, but that would automatically hard cap them at the 2nd apron. And that would only be around a $6mil contract.

Mitch is returning

Shamet is alsmost certainly not coming back

Nickel will be given every opportunity to get rotation minutes immediately

Kolek could now be on trade watch IF the FO thinks Jack Kayil can provide backup PG minutes next season

This could also impact whether to just let Jose use this year's player option or whether to rip it up and extend him with some cap space accommodations made by Jose who probably wants to keep living his NYC dream. If they extend Jose on a cap favorable deal, I think over time he'll fall out of the rotation with the pipeline we've built.

This Summer League will be the most critical SL in Knicks history, because of the razor thin cap space margins contracts are being designed for. NO SL prior to this has had any real impact on cap implications.

Therefore, how Nickel and Kayil, and any other player invited who is up for trade or contract consideration, perform will likely dictate any final moves to solidify the roster.

If Kayil shows up and plays like a stud then he may force his way on to the roster. If he shows promise, but is not ready, then he is either a two-way or a stash pick. If gossip is true that he would have been on track to be a lottery pick next year then the Knicks cannot really lose with any decision regarding Kayil.

This will be Nickel's audition for microwave shooter. If he nails it, he's almost certainly going to get a shot at rotation minutes.

I'm a big Kolek fan, but if Kayil was a draft steal, then I'd say at his size and ability to create, shoot and dime, it may mean Tyler is either traded or going to be a third stringer again. Otherwise, the plan may be to let Kolek play out his deal and get a crack at the rotation while they get Kayil ready for the next season which is the kind of thing this organization more typically does.

With Clarkson and Shamet gone, the two contracts up for trading considerations then are

Deuce - is it better to get trade value now with one year left on his deal?

Dadiet - is this the year they give him his shot or do they move him?

Loose Ends:

Huk - If he can be retained under the cap, odds are he will be back

McCullar - Another favorite of mine, but not under contract. May be a victim of the cap crunch, but they did invest time in him for a reason.
Worst case is he walks.
Mediocre outcome is he's given a new two-way deal so they have the flexibility to upgrade him with other deals made during the season.
Best outcome is he can be secured on the cheapest deal of any term, because he really is a great fit for this upcoming season with Clarkson and Shamet out.

BlueKnickers wrote:This Summer League will be the most critical SL in Knicks history, because of the razor thin cap space margins contracts are being designed for. NO SL prior to this has had any real impact on cap implications.

So are the third year players doing SL this year? Dadiet, McC, Huk and Tyler?
If any of them, Dadiet still has the most to prove. He was the FRP and played much less meaningful minutes than either Tyler or Huk. He should play SL, and he should tear up the league, or that's not a good sign. McC, I don't know much about and not as high on him as some of you (exactly because I haven't seen much of him), and he needs to start showing something or be a forgotten piece.

I also think Huk should get as many reps as possible because he has potential, but still very rough around the edges.

Panos wrote:

BlueKnickers wrote:This Summer League will be the most critical SL in Knicks history, because of the razor thin cap space margins contracts are being designed for. NO SL prior to this has had any real impact on cap implications.

So are the third year players doing SL this year? Dadiet, McC, Huk and Tyler?
If any of them, Dadiet still has the most to prove. He should play, and he should tear up the league, or that's not a good sign. McC, I don't know much about and not as high on him as some of you (exactly because I haven't seen much of him), and he needs to start showing something or be a forgotten piece.

I also think Huk should get as many reps as possible.

This is a very big question and I don't know the answer either.

But per your observation, this may be a rare SL where 3rd year players are asked to attend, because of what is on the line now

On the other hand, there is the possibility that 3rd year players may greatly overshadow the auditions of Nickel and Kayl, but I wouldn't take that consideration too seriously. If they can't shine amongst their more experienced teammates in SL, then they are not going to shine in the regular rotation anyway

Per McCullar, he showed a lot when he played, but he only had very sparse minutes on the main club and most of them were in G League where he excelled. He's a rugged 6'5" elite defender with good two-way skills. He was drafted injured and his first year was rehab and year two was getting back into the swing. He's ready now either for the Knicks or some other team.

Huk is a little bit of an enigma. One international poster said he was some kind of swiss army offensive player overseas, yet as a Knick his offensive bag has been pretty limited, so I don't know if he has upside left or if he is mostly a utility front-line defender.

BlueKnickers wrote:

Panos wrote:

BlueKnickers wrote:This Summer League will be the most critical SL in Knicks history, because of the razor thin cap space margins contracts are being designed for. NO SL prior to this has had any real impact on cap implications.

So are the third year players doing SL this year? Dadiet, McC, Huk and Tyler?
If any of them, Dadiet still has the most to prove. He should play, and he should tear up the league, or that's not a good sign. McC, I don't know much about and not as high on him as some of you (exactly because I haven't seen much of him), and he needs to start showing something or be a forgotten piece.

I also think Huk should get as many reps as possible.

This is a very big question and I don't know the answer either.

But per your observation, this may be a rare SL where 3rd year players are asked to attend, because of what is on the line now

On the other hand, there is the possibility that 3rd year players may greatly overshadow the auditions of Nickel and Kayl, but I wouldn't take that consideration too seriously. If they can't shine amongst their more experienced teammates in SL, then they are not going to shine in the regular rotation anyway

Per McCullar, he showed a lot when he played, but he only had very sparse minutes on the main club and most of them were in G League where he excelled. He's a rugged 6'5" elite defender with good two-way skills. He was drafted injured and his first year was rehab and year two was getting back into the swing. He's ready now either for the Knicks or some other team.

Huk is a little bit of an enigma. One international poster said he was some kind of swiss army offensive player overseas, yet as a Knick his offensive bag has been pretty limited, so I don't know if he has upside left or if he is mostly a utility front-line defender.

Huk had a big block on Kornet in the finals to help us secure a win. That alone should have him stick around for next season.

But outside of that, players usually take about 3 years to start hitting their stride in the NBA unless they aren't built for NBA. He is worth the development as he comes off as a player that can rim protect, hit fts, potentially hit threes, solid rebounder, pass somewhat. Aka an ideal fit for what Brown is trying to do at the C position with spacing, hub play and defense.

His per 36mins was 12pts 16rebs 2.6blks, 3ast 56fg% 78ft%. Held a 118 rating & 111 defense rating which is solid. Isiah Hartenstein took 4 years to be an 18 min per game guy before signing as a FA for the Knicks and then getting the opportunity to start and take off.

Believe he has a similar trajectory.

newyorknewyork wrote:

BlueKnickers wrote:

Panos wrote:

BlueKnickers wrote:This Summer League will be the most critical SL in Knicks history, because of the razor thin cap space margins contracts are being designed for. NO SL prior to this has had any real impact on cap implications.

So are the third year players doing SL this year? Dadiet, McC, Huk and Tyler?
If any of them, Dadiet still has the most to prove. He should play, and he should tear up the league, or that's not a good sign. McC, I don't know much about and not as high on him as some of you (exactly because I haven't seen much of him), and he needs to start showing something or be a forgotten piece.

I also think Huk should get as many reps as possible.

This is a very big question and I don't know the answer either.

But per your observation, this may be a rare SL where 3rd year players are asked to attend, because of what is on the line now

On the other hand, there is the possibility that 3rd year players may greatly overshadow the auditions of Nickel and Kayl, but I wouldn't take that consideration too seriously. If they can't shine amongst their more experienced teammates in SL, then they are not going to shine in the regular rotation anyway

Per McCullar, he showed a lot when he played, but he only had very sparse minutes on the main club and most of them were in G League where he excelled. He's a rugged 6'5" elite defender with good two-way skills. He was drafted injured and his first year was rehab and year two was getting back into the swing. He's ready now either for the Knicks or some other team.

Huk is a little bit of an enigma. One international poster said he was some kind of swiss army offensive player overseas, yet as a Knick his offensive bag has been pretty limited, so I don't know if he has upside left or if he is mostly a utility front-line defender.

Huk had a big block on Kornet in the finals to help us secure a win. That alone should have him stick around for next season.

But outside of that, players usually take about 3 years to start hitting their stride in the NBA unless they aren't built for NBA. He is worth the development as he comes off as a player that can rim protect, hit fts, potentially hit threes, solid rebounder, pass somewhat. Aka an ideal fit for what Brown is trying to do at the C position with spacing, hub play and defense.

His per 36mins was 12pts 16rebs 2.6blks, 3ast 56fg% 78ft%. Held a 118 rating & 111 defense rating which is solid. Isiah Hartenstein took 4 years to be an 18 min per game guy before signing as a FA for the Knicks and then getting the opportunity to start and take off.

Believe he has a similar trajectory.

Valid point, those Germans really do like to keep things on schedule.

gradyandrew wrote:How much is Kristaps gonna get in FA? If Robinson goes can Leon convince Dolan to welcome KP home?

Don't care for KP at all. That man is spent. He has had a lot of opportunities which he wasn't able to take advantage of. Yes he has skills . But those skills don't matter.His labia is loose and I'd rather play against him

MaTT4281 wrote:

newyorknewyork wrote:

BlueKnickers wrote:

Panos wrote:

BlueKnickers wrote:This Summer League will be the most critical SL in Knicks history, because of the razor thin cap space margins contracts are being designed for. NO SL prior to this has had any real impact on cap implications.

So are the third year players doing SL this year? Dadiet, McC, Huk and Tyler?
If any of them, Dadiet still has the most to prove. He should play, and he should tear up the league, or that's not a good sign. McC, I don't know much about and not as high on him as some of you (exactly because I haven't seen much of him), and he needs to start showing something or be a forgotten piece.

I also think Huk should get as many reps as possible.

This is a very big question and I don't know the answer either.

But per your observation, this may be a rare SL where 3rd year players are asked to attend, because of what is on the line now

On the other hand, there is the possibility that 3rd year players may greatly overshadow the auditions of Nickel and Kayl, but I wouldn't take that consideration too seriously. If they can't shine amongst their more experienced teammates in SL, then they are not going to shine in the regular rotation anyway

Per McCullar, he showed a lot when he played, but he only had very sparse minutes on the main club and most of them were in G League where he excelled. He's a rugged 6'5" elite defender with good two-way skills. He was drafted injured and his first year was rehab and year two was getting back into the swing. He's ready now either for the Knicks or some other team.

Huk is a little bit of an enigma. One international poster said he was some kind of swiss army offensive player overseas, yet as a Knick his offensive bag has been pretty limited, so I don't know if he has upside left or if he is mostly a utility front-line defender.

Huk had a big block on Kornet in the finals to help us secure a win. That alone should have him stick around for next season.

But outside of that, players usually take about 3 years to start hitting their stride in the NBA unless they aren't built for NBA. He is worth the development as he comes off as a player that can rim protect, hit fts, potentially hit threes, solid rebounder, pass somewhat. Aka an ideal fit for what Brown is trying to do at the C position with spacing, hub play and defense.

His per 36mins was 12pts 16rebs 2.6blks, 3ast 56fg% 78ft%. Held a 118 rating & 111 defense rating which is solid. Isiah Hartenstein took 4 years to be an 18 min per game guy before signing as a FA for the Knicks and then getting the opportunity to start and take off.

Believe he has a similar trajectory.

Valid point, those Germans really do like to keep things on schedule.

Yea we need to maximize his contributions before he is good enough to net his 3 year $87mil contract.

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BlueKnickers wrote:Kolek could now be on trade watch IF the FO thinks Jack Kayil can provide backup PG minutes next season

Bro this kind of post is gonna get you kicked out of the monthly meetup of the BBQ Chicken Kolek groupie club

martin wrote:

BlueKnickers wrote:Kolek could now be on trade watch IF the FO thinks Jack Kayil can provide backup PG minutes next season

Bro this kind of post is gonna get you kicked out of the monthly meetup of the BBQ Chicken Kolek groupie club

Oh crap, I crossed the line with my BBQ Chicken Kolek peeps

martin wrote:

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This was one of the replies in that tweet thread ha ha ha

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martin wrote:

Listened to the first ten minutes

They sold me on Nickel

Sounding like a brilliant roster fit

Nickel is going to feed in this lineup

BlueKnickers wrote:

martin wrote:

Listened to the first ten minutes

They sold me on Nickel

Sounding like a brilliant roster fit

Nickel is going to feed in this lineup

Can score at all three levels, and has great vision. Goes at his own pace he’s not a burner but plays under control and takes what the defense gives him . He’s a big PG that can play the 2 . Will more than likely play the 2 in the nba but can bring the ball up and be a secondary ball handler.

This kid is definitely worth getting excited about . He’s young and a winner . Always at the right place at the right time.

Im excited about Nickel as well he will definitely get minutes, but dont sleep on the German . This kid can ball, run an offense and score anywhere and I mean anywhere he’s got curry range. And is a plus defender.

When you watch him, after a few games your like how is this kid not a first round pick by the end your like how was this kid not a top 10 pick.

Mark my words jack kayil will get minutes this year . And not just get min he will have an impact with this team.