The Knicks made a million and one moves this week, filling out their training camp roster with a plethora of Exhibit 10 and Exhibit 9 deals. Amidst the flurry of Twitter notifications, I’ll forgive you if you missed the Knicks filling out all three of their two way roster spots along the way. But fill them they did.
There’s one familiar face and two Knicks newbies. Let’s take stock of who’ll split time between the Garden and Westchester this season.
Kevin McCullar Jr.
Last year’s 56th overall pick,
McCullar’s rookie year on the Knicks was undermined by injury troubles. After a strong college career that finished up at Kansas, McCullar suffered a bone bruise down the stretch of his senior season. He subsequently missed Summer League and the majority of the season, only appearing in 13 games for the Westchester Knicks. Despite ramping back up to game speed, he played superb down the stretch, capitalized by back-to-back 20+ point triple doubles in March.
He kept the good play up this July, shining as one of the featured players at this year’s Summer League. After a 30-point performance in his second game, the Knicks were impressed enough to shut him down for the duration of the event.
His play was enough to convince the front office that he deserved another crack at a two-way deal, and New York put pen to paper earlier this week.
It’ll be exciting to see if McCullar can ultimately contribute with the parent club this season.
Trey Jemison
Jemison is an imposing 25-year-old center, measuring in at 6’11”, 260. He’s been a transactions report sweetheart, already playing for the Wizards, Grizzlies, Pelicans, and Lakers in his two years as a pro. The Knicks are his fifth team already, and he’s hoping he can stick in New York.
Jemison has appeared in 63 NBA games to this point, averaging 4.2 points and 3.8 rebounds a game. He’s a good vertical threat on both sides of the floor, and his rebounding chops make him a solid backup big candidate in the league.
For more on him:
If (and when) the Knicks center rotation gets banged up over the course of the year, Jemison could step in and provide decent plug-and-play minutes off the bench. It’ll be interesting to see his development over the course of the season in Westchester.
Tosan Evbuomwan
Evbuomwan is a versatile 24-year-old, a 6’8”, 220 lb forward, known for his offensive versatility and scoring chops.
The Princeton graduate burst onto NBA radars, starring for the 15-seed Tigers in the 2023 edition of March Madness, and also arrives in New York well-traveled. Most recently, Evbuomwan averaged 9.5 points per game for the Brooklyn Nets, showing flashes of consistent NBA production.
His strong three-point shooting at the G-League level hasn’t translated to the NBA – yet. If he can get his shot going like he knows he can, he could be a lock to get minutes at the highest level (even if not ultimately with the Knicks).
Obviously, it remains to be seen if he can play a role for the Knicks this year, but, interestingly, New York filled out the end of its roster with two older players with NBA experience.
The message is clear: the time to win is now.
