Getty DaQuan Jeffries looks on during a New York Knicks summer league game.
The New York Knicks appear to have made another roster move on the eve of their Monday bout with the Houston Rockets. Per a report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania, 25-year-old wing and former two-way signee DaQuan Jeffries has agreed to a multiyear pact with the club.
Jeffries previously joined the main roster on a pair of 10-day contracts, the latter of which expired overnight on Saturday. And while the Knicks had time to fill their 14th roster spot to get to the minimum amount of players required by the CBA, they clearly have an affinity for Jeffries and what he brings to the table.
As noted by HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto (and others) recently, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has been impressed by Jeffries since the baller first joined the team on a training camp deal.
While Jeffries has yet to appear in a regular-season game for New York, he has raised eyebrows with his efforts for the team’s G League affiliate, the Westchester Knicks. In his last game at the developmental level on March 16, he dropped 33 points on 13-of-25 shooting — and 8-of-13 from deep — while adding eight assists, six rebounds, two steals and a blocked shot.
Between Showcase Cup and regular-season competition in the G League, Jeffries has averaged 19.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game with 49-34-71 shooting splits.
He was a third-team All-AAC pick at Tulsa in 2019, after which he went undrafted. Since making the NBA jump later that year, he has seen action in 47 games with the Sacramento Kings, the Rockets and the Memphis Grizzlies.
Knicks’ Jalen Brunson Makes Very Zen Statement on His All-Star Exclusion
Fans in the Big Apple were up in arms over point guard Jalen Brunson’s omission from February’s All-Star Game. And the baller definitely had a strong case for inclusion; he was even recognized as the Eastern Conference’s Player of the Month on the heels of the big event.
For his part, though, Brunson maintains that he’s more worried about his team and winning than individual accolades. From his recent interview with Bleacher Report‘s Chris Haynes:
Personally, it’s always been a goal of mine to be an All-Star, but I never would allow for my individual goals to trump my team goals. I want to win. And if I’m helping my team do that, all the individual awards will come into place when it’s that time. We got to the point where I was in the conversation to be named an All-Star. I was very honored, but I think if I win more, I’ll get that opportunity. I’d love to be there.
Knicks’ Quentin Grimes Peaking at the Right Time
The Knicks may be licking their wounds in the wake of a three-game skid, but there are definitely silver linings to be found. And the recent play of second-year shooting guard Quentin Grimes probably tops the list.
During New York’s ill-fated Florida swing, the 22-year-old averaged 23.5 points, 3.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 56.7% from the floor, 55% from deep — on 20 total attempts — and 100% from the charity stripe. Along the way, he was the Knicks’ most positive player at plus-17 over 64 minutes of play.
“I’ve felt good. Just trusting my work. It’s all going to pay off,” Grimes said after Thursday’s loss to the Orlando Magic, via the New York Post. “I know what I do out there on the court. I just go out there, teammates are finding me and I am hitting shots. I just need to go out there and be aggressive at all times.”