The Knicks’ Summer League roster is already drawing attention, but the player with the most to prove isn’t one of the names fans are probably circling first.
New York opens its NBA Summer League run on Friday, and for a team with a veteran-heavy roster already largely set, the event does not carry the same weight it does for some others. Still, there is one clear opening worth watching: the center spot behind new arrival Andre Drummond, especially now that Ariel Hukporti is gone. That leaves Liam Robbins as the most interesting tryout on the board, with the third-string center job still up for grabs.
Fans will still have reasons to tune in for Mohamed Diawara, Pacôme Dadiet and rookie Tyler Nickel, but Robbins may end up mattering more if he puts together the right kind of week. New York’s need for size in the middle is real after those two departures, and Robbins has the kind of frame that can jump off the court immediately.
The Iowa native stands a true seven-footer with a 7-foot-4 wingspan and weighs 250 pounds. He finished college with career highs across the board, putting up 15.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game while shooting 36.5% from three.
Since then, Robbins has spent most of the last two seasons in the G League, where he has averaged 8.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 blocks. Those numbers don’t scream instant NBA contributor, but they do show a player who has held his own and kept building.
He also brings some real experience into Las Vegas. Robbins played 13 NBA games for the Bucks in 2024-25, and that, combined with his G League time, should make him more comfortable than many of the younger players he’ll be sharing the floor with. That could matter in a setting where plenty of the competition is still trying to get its footing.
There’s another factor working in his favor: age. Robbins turns 27 during New York’s Summer League run, and that may actually help his case. The Knicks have shown a reluctance to hand meaningful roles to younger players, so a more seasoned big man could fit what they’re looking for if he performs well enough to earn a camp invite.
That said, he’ll need to show much more than he did last summer. Robbins appeared in five games for the Wizards in Summer League and averaged just 2.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in 12.4 minutes per game.
Even so, the door is open now in a way it wasn’t before. New York needs center help, Robbins has size, shot-blocking and some floor-stretching ability, and he’s the only player on the Knicks’ Las Vegas roster taller than 6-foot-10. That gives him a clear lane to play a visible role in the frontcourt during these games.
If he wants to stick, the formula is pretty simple: handle the paint, rebound, protect the rim and do the work that doesn’t always show up in the flashy clips. He’ll have Diawara, Nickel and Dadiet around him for offense, but Robbins’ best path is to make himself indispensable on the defensive end and on the glass.
If he does that, the Knicks may have found more than a Summer League body.
In Other News...
Knicks Title Defense Looks Safer With One East Rival Fading
The Knicks entered the summer with a title in hand and the kind of target on their backs that comes with it, but one potential roadblock in the East looks a little less imposing than it did a year ago. Detroit still has Cade Cunningham, and that alone keeps the Pistons relevant, yet their early playoff exit and busy offseason reshuffle have left them looking more like a team trying to find its next step than one ready to challenge the champs.
For New York, the bigger picture is that the conference still figures to be crowded with threats. Miami, Philadelphia, Boston, Indiana, Cleveland and Toronto all have reasons to believe they can be better, which means the Knicks will not get a free pass just because one rival is fading. Even so, Detroits current path feels harder to sell as a true title threat, and in an East where scoring depth and roster balance matter more than ever, that matters for the Knicks margin for error. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Summer League Just Got Tougher For Young Guards Trying To Stick
A late roster addition has changed the feel of the Knicks Summer League backcourt before the games even start. Jack Kayil received permission from his European club to join New Yorks summer roster after the initial group had already been announced, and his arrival gives the Knicks another guard to sort through as they evaluate younger talent in Las Vegas.
For players like Jaden Akins, Keith Palek III and Treysen Eaglestaff, that means the margin for minutes just got thinner. Summer League is always a proving ground, but T.J. Saint may lean heavily on Kayil and a few other priority pieces, leaving the rest of the guard group fighting for every chance to show they belong. [Read more 🡒]
One Young Knick Could Quietly Change New Yorks Next Big Move
The Knicks have spent much of the offseason looking for ways to sharpen the main roster, and the center market has naturally been part of that conversation. One name that keeps coming up in that broader picture is Pacme Dadiet, a young wing who has barely seen NBA minutes but has shown enough in the G League to keep people around the team interested in what he might become.
Dadiet is in Summer League now, and that matters because his value may be tied as much to this stretch as to anything he has done before. A strong showing could make him a more credible trade chip if New York decides to chase a more impactful backup center, and the Knicks would love for that kind of flexibility to come from a player whose stock is still moving rather than one already at its peak. [Read more 🡒]