It’s been a while since New York sports took part in a battle of unbeatens on a Sunday. The New York Knicks, of all teams, are ready to quench thirsts for such a matchup.
New York’s prospects will continue their Summer League journey in Las Vegas on Sunday late afternoon when they battle the Chicago Bulls. Like the Knicks, Chicago got its young star showcase off to a good start, topping the Dallas Mavericks by a 100-99 final shortly before New York prevailed over Golden State with a sterling second half.
What: Chicago Bulls (1-0) vs. New York Knicks (1-0) (Summer League)
Where: Cox Pavillion, Las Vegas, NV
When/Watch: Sunday, 5 p.m. ET, ESPN2/WatchESPN
Keep An Eye On: Trevor Keels
In terms of high-profile attractions in the Knicks’ Summer League endeavors, Keels has a bit of a brighter spotlight upon him. In the midst of the team’s polarizing decision to use draft night to build a Jalen Brunson savings account, Keels was the Knicks’ only acquisition with a name attached to him. Even if he’s destined to spend most, if not all, of this season in Westchester, Keels has a big opportunity ahead of him over the next week-plus in Vegas, where he’s expected to work in primetime minutes.
Scroll to Continue
That came to fruition on Friday night, when Keels was inserted into the Knicks’ starting lineup, but the 18-year-old struggled at the onset with a 1-of-6 outing from the field over the first half and he also lost a team-worst four turnovers. Things definitely looked up over his latter minutes: while his shooting still left a little to be desired, he got involved in the Knicks facillitation (pulling down six rebounds and notably floating an alley-oop to Jericho Sims that created the game’s final tie before the Knicks took a permanent lead) and also had four steals in a New York defensive effort that forced 23 turnovers.
Keels, playing with a chip on his shoulder after falling to the 42nd overall pick hinted that he was able to play at a brisker pace after getting the early nerves of his unofficial Association debut out of the way.
“I didn’t think I was going to [get drafted] that low. But it is what it is. Of course, I’m going to make sure all the teams pay that passed up on me,” Keels said, per the New York Post. “I just had chills in the walkway before the game, seeing the crowd, seeing the NBA logo, it’s a lot of emotions. I’m proud of myself. I’m proud of the guys who helped me get here. I made it.”
With the opening night jitters out of the way, it’ll be interesting to see if Keels is able to carry over the momentum of his late Friday endeavors. The Duke alum likely was brought in for his defense more than his shooting so it’ll be interesting to see how he faces the challenge of a Chicago group that also reached triple digits on Friday night.
Bull to Watch: Marko Simonovic
Chicago’s second-round pick from the 2021 draft is working through his second season in Vegas, but it might as well be his first, as the Montenegro-born big man got even bulkier to prepare for his summer showcase in an effort to build on the nine NBA games he played last season. The extra 25 lbs. paid immediate dividends, as he earned a 27-point, 13-rebound double-double against Dallas.
Simonovic’s prescience provides a solid test for Sims, who got his own exhibition slate off to a strong start with a double-double of his own (16 points, 10 rebounds). He and his compatriots in the paint defended Golden State’s interior well on Friday, leaving a bulk of the opposing scoring to Moses Moody’s mastery from the wing. Losing the rebounding battle 39-33 (including an 11-6 disadvantage on the offensive glass) is something the Knicks would undoubtedly like to work on but it’s a task made no easier against Simonovic.
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism