Tyler Nickel’s first NBA box score won’t do him any favors, but the Knicks are not treating his preseason debut like a final judgment. That’s the bigger story. One scoreless night in October doesn’t change the reason New York brought him in, and it certainly doesn’t erase the shot that got him here in the first place.
Nickel made 40% of his three-pointers over three years between the ACC and SEC, and that kind of shooting track record is enough to keep a player on the radar. Even so, his preseason opener showed how wide the gap can feel between college and the league. The more useful way to view him, though, is through the Knicks’ recent pattern: identify a second-rounder, give him a limited role early, then see whether the game catches up to him.
Miles McBride is the cleanest example. He’s become a fan favorite as a three-and-D combo guard drafted and developed in the organization, but he’s also heading toward a new contract next summer that should move him from underpaid to properly paid.
The Knicks are unlikely to be the team that gives him that raise. Leon Rose has already lived through this with Immanuel Quickley, another fan-favorite three-and-D combo guard who outplayed his rookie deal and was due for a big payday.
The key point isn’t that McBride is destined to be used in a deal the way Quickley and RJ Barrett were moved to land OG Anunoby. It’s that New York had McBride ready when Quickley was ready to move on.
McBride’s path wasn’t instant. In his first two seasons, he hit only 28% of his three-point attempts.
The Knicks kept watching, though, including his G League work and even his shooting numbers in practice. That patience paid off.
Three years later, he’s taken quadruple the number of threes from those first two seasons and knocked down 40% of them.
That kind of development is part of the organization’s recent rhythm under Rose. Second-round picks don’t usually get big first-year minutes.
If they show enough, the role grows. Mohamed Diawara is the latest name in that pipeline.
He logged 634 minutes last year, and the expectation is that number will rise this season. The point with Nickel is similar: whatever he is now, that’s probably not the final version.
Mike Brown made sure Nickel knew he was seeing the right things, even if the shots weren’t falling. Brown was loud in his support from the bench, calling out, “Good shot, Tyler”!
after a missed three off a DHO and later, “Good job, Tyler”! after a strong crash on the offensive glass.
Brown’s reaction stood out, and so did his assessment: “Thought Nickel played well. Shots didn’t go in (they will eventually) but…”
There’s a reason the Knicks are willing to be patient. Nickel is not in the mix because of size, speed, explosiveness, handle, or defense.
He has a chance because he can shoot. The finished product would be a deep threat who can survive on team defense.
He’s nowhere near that yet, and New York doesn’t need him to be that right away.
Diawara ended up being useful in the regular season, but in the playoffs he was basically a human victory cigar, appearing only in six games the Knicks won by 14-51 points. Nickel’s role figures to be even smaller.
The Knicks didn’t draft him to solve spacing in April, May, and June. They’re looking for something far more modest this season: enough in Westchester to suggest he won’t need much time there next year.
That’s the part that matters most. Replacing a seven-foot center who can jump out of the gym with a 6-foot-7 forward who had the fourth-worst standing vertical in his draft class sounds backwards on paper. But the Knicks have spent years finding value in places other teams ignore, and there’s a logic to betting on skill when the margins get tight.
The Robinson departure means the offensive rebounding edge New York has enjoyed for years is going to dip unless the Knicks had somehow signed Steven Adams to cover for it. Last season, they still finished with the league’s third-rated offense despite ranking only 10th in points scored.
Robinson’s extra possessions were a huge part of that efficiency. Andre Drummond can help, but “good” and “GOAT” are very different things.
If the last two Knicks to win roster spots are Nickel and James Wiseman, neither is being asked to swing the biggest moments of the season. But roster spots are still part of the story, and stories get written in the margins.
Drummond is a more skilled offensive center than Mitch. Wiseman is more skilled offensively than Hukporti.
If Nickel ends up as a Knick, it will be because of the shot.
Could that group help offset the Robinson-sized hole? It may sound unlikely. It also isn’t as ridiculous as it sounds.
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The timing matters because the battle for interior minutes has been one of the more closely watched parts of New Yorks camp, and Wisemans return adds another layer to it. The early read from around the team is that he has put himself in position to be part of the Opening Night picture, which makes his next few outings worth tracking closely. [Read more 🡒]