New York Knicks: 3 Undrafted FAs Who Could Shine in the Summer League

It’s time to take a closer look at the three prominent undrafted free agent signings that the Knicks made after this year’s draft.

At the end of the 2018 NBA Draft, the New York Knicks front office signed Allonzo Trier to an undrafted free agent contract. He would go on to average 10.9 points per game on 44.8% shooting from the field and 39.4% from behind the arc, proving that there are still loads of young talent available after the names have stopped being called on draft night. Which Knicks UFAs have the chance to have a similar breakout in 2019?

Kris Wilkes

20-year old Kris Wilkes recently signed a two-way contract after going undrafted, which means he will likely spend the 2019-20 season in both the NBA and the G League. The UCLA guard had impressive averages of 15.5 points and 4.4 rebounds during his two-year college career. He was also a polished high school player as evidenced by earning the title of Indiana’s Mr. Basketball, which is an accolade that had been previously awarded to NBA players such as Eric Gordon and Gary Harris.

One of his clear strengths is his rebounding, where his listed height of 6’8″ helped him secure almost five rebounds per game in both of his seasons at UCLA. The young guard relies on his athleticism to get the majority of his points, and he will need to improve his shooting if he wants to succeed at the professional level. (34.3% from 3 during his college career) However, his upside is undeniable, and he should display that during the Summer League.

Amir Hinton

Shaw University junior Amir Hinton was claimed by the New York Knicks mere minutes after the draft, and it’s not hard to see why. The 22-year old guard led all Division II players in scoring last season, putting up 29.4 points per game to go along with four assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.3 steals. He did all of this while shooting an efficient 48.8% from the field and playing in an eye-opening 37.6 minutes per game.

Almost all of his official statistics are incredible, and he would have likely been an early first-round pick if he put up those same numbers in a competitive Division I school. It is fair to question if he can continue to produce in the NBA, and that is the likely reason why he went undrafted. He has the chance in the Summer League to prove everyone wrong and show that his impressive college career was not the result of lesser competition.

V.J. King

The acquisition of V.J. King surprised many as his averages of 6.1 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 0.7 assists on 40% shooting did not seem to warrant consideration from any NBA team. His perimeter shooting is even worse, hitting just 29.7% of his shots from deep throughout his three seasons at Louisville.

On the other hand, this could end up being a steal for the Knicks. A former McDonalds All-American, King, was a standout high school player who couldn’t adjust to the college game like most thought, similar to top-10 pick Cam Reddish. It remains to be seen whether or not he can regain the skills he possessed when he was younger, but his first chance to break out on a whole new level is coming soon.

With only 60 players being selected in the NBA Draft, there are always quality players that get overlooked. These players can end up having huge roles on winning teams, with the most recent example of an impactful UFA being Fred VanVleet for the championship-winning Toronto Raptors.

The Knicks took some risks with their undrafted free agents, but there is also the potential for all three of them to be great.