The New York Knicks endured a difficult NBA Summer League campaign, but the tournament still provided a valuable opportunity to evaluate the franchise’s young talent.
Among those looking to make an impression was 2024 first-round pick Pacome Dadiet, who finished with a team-high 19 points in Friday’s 110-88 loss to the Dallas Mavericks as New York closed Summer League with a 1-4 record.
Dadiet scored 19 points in 23 minutes, shooting 7-of-15 from the field, although he made just 1-of-5 attempts from beyond the arc.
The French wing once again flashed the potential that made him a first-round selection, but his development now comes at a pivotal stage of his young career.
New York Knicks Face Important Decision on Pacome Dadiet
Across four appearances in Las Vegas, Dadiet averaged 15.2 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.0 offensive rebounds, 1.2 steals, and just under one block in 23.7 minutes per game.
Efficiency remained an issue, however, as he shot 36.4% from the field and just 16.0% from three-point range.
The 20-year-old never made more than one three-pointer in a game, finishing 4-of-25 from deep.
Despite those struggles, Dadiet still possesses the size, athleticism, and long-term upside that convinced the Knicks to select him in the first round.
The challenge is that time is becoming increasingly important. Dadiet will enter the third season of his four-year, $13 million rookie contract and is scheduled to earn $2.9 million during the 2026-27 campaign.
The final year of the deal is a $5.3 million team option, leaving New York with an important decision to make if he is unable to establish himself as part of the NBA rotation.
“You have to feel that pressure to do something,” former Knicks star Jeremy Lin recently said. “When you’ve shown enough, you pretty much don’t have to play (Summer League) anymore.”
“When you’re coming back for that 2nd / 3rd year, you have to feel that pressure.”
G League Success Offers Reason for Optimism
Dadiet’s name surfaced briefly in trade discussions before the February 5 deadline, largely because of roster construction and salary-matching scenarios, but he ultimately remained with the Knicks.
With young players such as Tyler Kolek and Mohamed Diawara well ahead of him in the pecking order, New York could eventually consider including the former first-round pick in a trade if it seeks additional win-now help during the season.
While his Summer League performances were inconsistent, Dadiet showed encouraging progress during several assignments with the Westchester Knicks in the G League last season.
Across 19 games, he averaged 22.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 1.0 steal while shooting 44.8% from the field and 32.5% from three-point range.
He scored at least 25 points eight times, highlighted by a 32-point performance against the Greensboro Swarm in March, when he knocked down four three-pointers.
In that game, Dadiet also recorded five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and one block in one of his most complete performances of the season.
Across his G League campaign, he produced eight multi-steal games, three multi-block outings, and several turnover-free performances, highlighting the intriguing two-way potential of his 6-foot-9 frame.
The New York Knicks still have time to continue investing in Dadiet’s development, but after another inconsistent Summer League, the pressure is growing for the former first-round pick to translate his flashes of potential into sustained NBA production.
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