Knicks vs. Warriors Summer League: How & What to Watch

The Knicks' prospects will do battle against those of the defending champions on Friday night in primetime.

"Friday Night Knicks" takes no summer vacation. 

The New York Knicks, or at least a young spin-off version, will return for a weekend set to tip off NBA Summer League action, descending upon Las Vegas for five games beginning on Friday night. Set to dress 15 in Sin City, the Knicks open against the hopefuls of the defending champion Golden State Warriors before facing those of the Chicago Bulls on Sunday late afternoon. 

Here's what you need to know as the young showcase gets underway ...

What: Golden State Warriors (0-0) vs. New York Knicks (0-0) (Summer League)

Where: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV

When/Watch: Friday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN2/WatchESPN

I love Quentin Grimes pic.twitter.com/x1hFW4azJ6

— Eric Hubbs (@BarstoolHubbs) December 25, 2021

Keep An Eye On: Quentin Grimes

The lack of a 2022 first-round pick, and the continued debate around such a concept, might remove some of the allure behind the Knicks' Vegas endeavors. But the team will have an opening-round rep on hand in Sin City in Quentin Grimes, who is set to embark on his second Vegas vacation.

Grimes, chosen 25th overall in the 2021 selections with a pick obtained from the Los Angeles Clippers, is the returning leading scorer after averaging 15.3 over last year's six exhibitions. That included a combined 54 points over the victorious final duo and allowed him to partly break through in Tom Thibodeau's rotation that rarely affords minutes to rookies.

When it was time to play with the veterans, Grimes held his own, notably putting in 27 against another defending champion, Milwaukee, in his first career start back in December. But medical woes, including a positive COVID-19 diagnosis and a dislocated kneecap, prevented him from getting into any sustainable groove. 

Unlike some of the others wearing blue and orange in Vegas, Grimes has a relatively undisputed role on this team moving forward. The Knicks are a team where anyone retained from the most recent group could be, maybe even should be, expendable for the right price, but Grimes has already survived a relatively major shift: the Atlanta Hawks reportedly asked for his services in the deal that sent Cam Reddish north but he made an impact on Thibodeau, who has been infamously stonehearted when it comes to freshmen. 

As a Vegas veteran whose Manhattan lodging is relatively secure, Grimes is used to the Summer League grind. He plans to use that to his advantage, telling the New York Post that he wants to "dominate" over the next week-plus. 

"I feel like I played well last year .... Coming in this year being a second-year guy, I know what to expect, I know how the games are," he said of his summer goals. "(I'm just going) out there and try(ing) to dominate every time offensively and defensively.”

Jonathan Kuminga with the putback over LeBron James.#DubNation pic.twitter.com/ItLtYYIAan

— Mark Haynes (@markhaynesnba) February 13, 2022

Warrior to Watch: Jonathan Kuminga

It's easy to get lost in the mystique of the Warriors' veteran core that just lifted yet another Larry O'Brien Trophy. Their continued dominance has some masked the solid youth core they've built up during their two-year playoff drought.

While James Wiseman's status for the coming summer slate is in doubt, the Warriors will welcome back Jonathan Kuminga, last season's seventh overall pick that led the young Californians in scoring during their prior Vegas excursion. Kuminga took on more of an observer's role during the championship run (averaging less than nine minutes a game) but stepped in the regular season to the tune of a stretch where he reached double figures in scoring in 16 of 18 games between February and March. 

The Knicks' prospects have an immediately defensive test to deal with in their Vegas opener, as the Warriors retain three double-figure scorers from last year's summer group (Kuminga joined by Moses Moody and Justinian Jessup).