The New York Knicks have built a roster that leans old, and that makes the team’s handful of young players worth a closer look. With most of the rotation already past 28, the Knicks’ championship clock is tied to veterans like Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Josh Hart. Still, there are a few younger names with different kinds of futures in front of them.
At the top of that group is Miles McBride, even if he no longer feels especially young. He’s been around for five seasons, has already played in meaningful games, and carries himself with a calmness that can hide his age.
But he was only 20 when the Knicks took him with the 36th pick in the 2020 draft, and even with his stock dinged a bit by a disappointing NBA Finals showing and trade chatter, he remains the best young player on the roster right now. His value is obvious: shooting, defense, and connective playmaking that fits next to just about anyone.
He may not have the flashiest ceiling, but his floor is as sturdy as it gets for a role player.
Mohamed Diawara sits near the other end of the spectrum. His case is all about upside, and a lot of it hinges on whether last season’s shooting was real.
He was a surprising shooter last year, but that came one year after he was a below-average shooter overseas, and his Summer League line - 3.5 points per game on 7.1% shooting from the field - didn’t help calm nerves. If the jumper slips back, his appeal drops fast, because in today’s league, weak shooting can swallow up everything else.
But if that shot holds, Diawara has the tools to become a Pascal Siakam-esque point forward. That kind of outcome would put him ahead of McBride on long-term value and make him one of the league’s more interesting players.
More than anyone else here, he could shape how long the Knicks’ current window lasts.
Then there’s the rookie who hasn’t played a regular-season minute yet: Jordan Nickel. It feels a little strange to rank him this high, but shooting and size travel, and he has both.
He doesn’t project as a star because he lacks shot creation, playmaking, elite athleticism, and the kind of defense that usually comes with that athleticism. Even so, he looks like one of the best shooters in the draft class.
If the defensive effort and instincts he showed in Summer League stick, he should have a long career. The problem is that a veteran-heavy roster makes rookie minutes hard to come by, so his role in Year 1 could be limited even if the long-term outlook stays strong.
Kayil comes next, and this is really a bet on what he could become rather than what he is right now. He’s in a useful spot because he has a path to the NBA while also getting real reps in a professional setting, without the pressure of a tight rotation or a short leash.
Summer League showed both promise and rough edges. The shot selection was shaky, and the ball-handling raised questions, but he also flashed athleticism, shot creation, and playmaking.
At 20 years old, he’s still difficult to pin down. He could grow into a lead guard, settle in as a good secondary guard, wash out, or even never come to the United States.
That uncertainty gives him more upside than Tyler Kolek.
Kolek, though, is the more polished player today. He’s already shown he can pass at a high level and hit open threes, but his defense still has to get to a consistently serviceable level before he can earn real minutes in New York.
There’s also the sense that he might be a player whose stock would look better somewhere else. In another situation, he might already be carving out a backup point guard role.
Instead, he’s the third-string point guard, turns 26 in March, and his future with the Knicks is murky.
Rounding out the list is Pacome Dadiet, a 21-year-old 6-foot-9 wing with some interesting flashes as a shooter, passer, cutter, and defender. That mix is part of why the Knicks took him where they did.
But his path in New York is blocked by Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Landry Shamet, Jordan Clarkson, and Mohamed Diawara, and that probably won’t change unless injuries pile up or a major trade shakes the roster. He has time to develop, but likely not in New York while the team is chasing another title.
If he eventually gets moved, he may find a better runway elsewhere. For now, though, his outlook trails the rest of this group.
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Knicks May Have Finally Found A Way To Ease Jalen Brunsons Burden
Jalen Brunson has carried a massive share of the Knicks offense since arriving in 2022, and that workload has been one of the defining facts of his time in New York. The challenge for the Knicks has been simple enough to state and hard enough to solve: how do you keep their primary creator fresh without stripping away the control he gives the half-court attack?
The recent playoffs offered a potential answer, with Karl-Anthony Towns helping to shoulder more of the offensive initiation and giving Brunson more chances to work off the ball. That shift let Brunson score more from spot-ups and other off-ball situations, and it gave New York a useful blueprint for easing his burden heading into next season without needing to remake the roster. [Read more 🡒]
OG Anunoby Made One Thing Clear After The Knicks Title Run
The Knicks championship run ended with the kind of signature moment teams remember for years, and OG Anunoby provided it when New York stormed back from a 29-point hole to take Game 4 of the 2026 NBA Finals on his game-winning put-back. A night later, the Knicks finished the job in Game 5 and closed out the San Antonio Spurs in five games, leaving the franchise with its first title in a long while and Anunoby at the center of one of the defining plays of the postseason.
As much as he is still taking in what the run meant, Anunoby has already made his next priority clear: getting ready for the season ahead. For a Knicks team that just reached the mountaintop, that mindset matters, because the celebration can fade quickly once the target shifts from winning the championship to trying to stay there. [Read more 🡒]
Knicks Face A Deuce McBride Decision With Bigger Trade Implications
The Knicks long-term planning around Deuce McBride has turned into a pretty practical roster question this summer. An extension for the young guard would not just lock in a useful backcourt piece, it could also preserve his trade eligibility before the next deadline, giving the front office a little more flexibility if the season pushes them toward another move.
There is some real appeal in doing it now because the right kind of deal could make McBride more valuable around the league by giving another team cost certainty. New York would still have to thread the contract details carefully, but with McBrides current market value and contract expectations, a reasonable extension appears to be on the table while leaving the bigger decision for later. [Read more 🡒]