Knicks vs. Trail Blazers Summer League: How & What to Watch

The fledgling Knicks will look to keep their good Vegas fortunes alive in late night.

Are you ready for some ... very late basketball?

The New York Knicks certainly appear to be after their first two games of Las Vegas Summer League action, following up a 101-88 win over the defending champion Golden State Warriors with a 32-point dismantling of the Chicago Bulls. 

This victorious weekend now gives way to an interconference showdown with the Portland Trail Blazers, whose Vegas fortunes suffered a blow when the most recent seventh overall pick, Shaedon Sharpe, suffered a shoulder injury in an 81-78 loss to Detroit last Thursday. The Blazers got back on the right track with an 85-68 triumph over the New Orleans' Pelicans prospects the very next night.

Of note, Monday's game will feature a special guest on the floor: NBA champion and current ESPN analyst Richard Jefferson will serve as an official during the second quarter of action. 

What: New York Knicks (2-0) vs. Portland Trail Blazers (1-1) (Summer League)

Where: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, NV

When/Watch: Monday, 11 p.m. ET, ESPN2/WatchESPN

This DaQuan Jeffries dunk was RIDICULOUS pic.twitter.com/cuhEXnBUEH

— The Knicks Wall (@TheKnicksWall) July 9, 2022

Keep An Eye On: DaQuan Jeffries

As we hit the second half of Summer League competition, it's becoming clear who has lasting roles on the big clubs. The Knicks, for example, are enthused by the breakouts of Quentin Grimes and Jericho Sims, whose next Vegas-based basketball competitions will come if/when the NBA puts a team in Sin City.

Thus, some teams are opting to give the understudies a shot as the Vegas vacations near their end. Orlando, for example, is said to be resting top overall pick Paolo Banchero despite lingering with the Knicks among the eight unbeaten teams left in Nevada (thus eligible for the newly-minted Summer League hardware up for grabs at the end of it all). In games like these, it's thus probably worth keeping an eye on some of the lesser-heralded stars, ones who could headline games at Westchester for the time being, names that could be first in line for an NBA call-up. 

Jeffries, Grimes' de facto understudy in Las Vegas, has made a strong case over the Knicks' first two games. Despite coming off the bench, he has served as a strong two-way facilitator, putting in averages of 12.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in the first two games. He has also taken good care of the ball, losing just one turnover so far.

Nomadic endeavors have defined Jeffries' basketball career: he worked through three separate colleges (Oral Roberts, West Texas, and Tulsa) and has played 44 NBA regular season games through three different systems (Sacramento, Houston, Memphis). Granted a full-on opportunity in the relative doldrums of Summer League play, Jeffries is creating a solid case for a new opportunity, be it in Westchester or elsewhere.

Trendon Watford for 👌

📺: ESPN2 pic.twitter.com/kI487C3QmZ

— LSU Basketball (@LSUBasketball) July 10, 2022

Blazer to Watch: Trendon Watford

If we're speaking of Summer League standouts that managed to make a home, we'd be remiss if we didn't highlight the example of Watford, who's working through his second season in Vegas. A relative afterthought on a two-way contract last season (averaging 22 minutes off the bench in last year's exhibitions), the undrafted free agent out of LSU played his way into a four-year deal by February, averaging 7.6 points (on 53 percent from the field) and 4.2 rebounds with the big squad.

Back in Vegas despite becoming a Rose City regular, Watford has taken center stage with Sharpe sitting out. The fledgling Blazers' win over New Orleans was defined by Watford's efforts, as he put in a double-double (17 points, 11 rebounds) and leading the team in nearly every major stat category.

Watford's prowess in the interior should be another solid test for Sims and the rest of the Knicks' men in the post, a test they passed perfectly against Chicago on Sunday: they limited the Bulls' summer paint attraction Marko Simonovic to a mere single point while first-round choice Dalen Terry shot 3-of-7 from the field and lost the ball seven times.