The New York Knicks' penultimate preseason game was a 50-point loss in Toronto. Let's look at what grades were earned by the baker's dozen of Knicks who cooked up quite a fiasco with the main contributors resting.
Mohamed Diawara: B+
Diawara entered Tuesday night without a made three-pointer his first three games. He finally broke his duck by draining a pair from deep. The Knicks need Diawara to repeat his solid 3-point shooting from a year ago if he's to remain in the rotation.
If he's to expand his role, he has to show he can more than three and D. On multiple occasions last night Diawara, turned a promising attack into an open three created for a teammate. Pacome Dadiet and Bruce Brown couldn't deliver, but Diawara looks ready to expand his game. The Knicks need all the internal development they can get.
James Wiseman: B
The offense will take care of itself if the 25-year-old big man makes the roster. While New York has mostly avoided having Wiseman work out of the post or one-on-one, his wingspan and leaping ability make him an effective rim runner, able to convert lobs into baskets or free throw attempts. He's low-maintenance and highly efficient as a scorer. If that was all that mattered, Wiseman's grade would be higher.
But despite one defensive highlight where he used his height and verticality to successfully contest Kawhi Leonard, forcing him to lose the ball out of bounds, Wiseman is—understandably—behind in that area.
He needs consistent playing time and the ability to fail safely to have enough reps to get caught up to speed defensively. At this stage, Wiseman looks uninterested in defending 25 feet from the rim, resulting in a lot of drop coverage that's resulted in a lot of open looks for opponents. He doesn't have to have Mitchell Robinson's footwork, but he's got to be able to hold his own, at least.
Tyler Nickel: B-
No one who takes as many threes as Nickel did and misses 89% of them can get an A grade. The reason he grades out above average isn't because of what he failed to do, but what he tried to. Nickel's job at the moment is to show he's worth the Knicks investing in for the future. Last night Nickel showed he's more than just a pretty jumper.
He looked confident, more aggressive. Whether he felt any differently than he did his first few games, the fact that he looked like he belonged was a good sign. "Fake it till you make it" has done wonders for all kinds of people in all kinds of professions.
Even if Nickel isn't ready to shoot the league's lights out, he carries himself like he can, which compels defenders to pay attention to him. Just the threat he brings does damage by drawing defensive attention.
And it wasn't just his jumper that stood out. Nickel fought for a few steals, grabbed a couple rebounds and showed hustle in one transition sequence that ended with him saving a loose ball and scoring a deserved bucket. It's one day at a time for New York's rookie. Tuesday was a good day.
Jose Alvarado: C+
Pretty much what we've come to expect from Alvarado. Some pestering defense. Got his teammates involved. Nothing spectacular, thought that's how he works. Lulls you to sleep, gets you feeling comfortable...then suddenly he's stealing the inbounds. Alvarado looks ready to roll, but you'd also like to see more from him when the starters are out.
Miles McBride: C+
Miles McBride struggled a bit his first few preseason games, but has looked more like himself recently. No three Tuesday night, though we did witness McBride try to follow a drive to the cup with what would've been an impressive dunk.
He was fouled; getting to the line is always a plus for McBride. Hopefully that attacking quality will persist through the regular season. It'd add another dimension to McBride's game.
Bruce Brown: C
Maybe he's already been informed a roster spot is his to lose. Maybe he's pacing himself. Whatever he's doing, Bruce Brown seems like somebody who does what he does deliberately. He hasn't stood out in any of the preseason games so far, not on either end. I get the sense that's how Brown works.
A former NBA champ who's now 30, Brown's sensibility is probably closer to the Knicks' starters. He has something to prove, obviously, in that he's trying to prove he deserves a roster spot. But in interviews Brown comes across as anything but myopic.
Five points, four rebounds and a couple assists doesn't reveal anything about upside. But New York already has about as much upside as it can afford. When that upside needs a breather, Brown remains as likely a lock as any to step in, step up and make sure the team doesn't miss a beat.
Tony Bradley: C
Tony Bradley is tall, can finish around the basket and rebound some. We know all that before last night. We didn't learn anything new, though it was nice seeing him get ahead of people in transition, seal a smaller defender on his back and score over them.
Bradley's case is clear, though he remains an underdog for a roster spot.
Tyler Kolek: C
tyler Kolek played 28 minutes, one fewer than Diawara's preseason high. He made some shots, helped on the glass and got his teammates involved.
He remains the third point guard and looks capable in that capacity, although his path to more playing time would open up the quickest if McBride is traded.
Kevin McCullar Jr.: C
Not much spotlight for the third-year Knick, though Kevin McCullar's one basket was a tough drive and finish. He's spared a C- because of the bravery he showed at the end of the first quarter, when with almost no time left he caught the inbounds on his side of the midcourt and, with 0.4 seconds remaining, somehow managed to get a heave off.
Wherever he was last night, you know Mike Breen shed a tear of joy.
Drew Eubanks: D
The Knicks need to see something in Eubanks that doesn't exist in Wiseman or Bradley. Tuesday night Eubanks had the (narrowly) worst plus/minus rating of all the Knicks bigs. That isn't the sort of thing they hope to see in him, assuming they're still giving him a look.
Eubanks entered the preseason needing to show the Knicks that he has gifts his competitors don't possess. He's been physical, but not exceptionally so. For Eubanks to earn a passing grade, he has to separate himself from the pack. With only one preseason game left, he's yet to do so.
Ochai Agbaji: D
When you're trying out for a shooting guard spot and you don't make a single shot all preseason, you have failed to make an impression. Agbaji did just that.
Jaden Akins: D
Jaden Akins has flashed some skills in brief moments—he looks like the kind of defensively oriented, share-the-wealth reserve guard every team loves to have.
He, like Nickel, is on a two-way deal, so his Knick career doesn't end when the preseason does. Akins isn't quite ready for the full-time roster, but don't be surprised if sooner than later he becomes the latest Westchester Knick to graduate from the G League to the pros.
Pacome Dadiet: D
When your career is on the line, everything you do today hopefully points to you having a tomorrow to play for, whether in New York or elsewhere. In the second-to-last preseason game of his third NBA training camp, Dadiet missed six of seven 3-point tries. The only column in his box score with a plural number were fouls; he picked up four.
Dadiet is still young, only 21. But if he can't consistently make jump shots, his NBA retirement will be involuntary and decidedly premature.
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