Former Lakers first-rounder Dalton Knecht, now on a two-way deal with the Knicks, made a strong impression in his New York debut. Knecht had 10 points, seven rebounds and a blocked shot in 16 minutes against Chicago on Wednesday.

“He’s a scorer. He’s not just a shooter… He can go get it,” coach Mike Brown said, per Ian Begley of SNY. “He can shoot from range, he’s got a medium game, he can get to the rim, and he can pass. He’s got to work defensively and I thought tonight, he tried to play within himself and contributed the best way he could,” Brown said. “There were a couple things defensively that he can do a little better and that’s what he really has to concentrate, on but I thought he gave us a nice little lift, especially offensively when he played towards the end of the first half.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

• A notable rotation switch in the 30-point blowout of the Bulls was the usage of Tyler Kolek over Jose Alvarado as the backup point, Jared Schwartz of the New York Post points out. Kolek played six minutes in that second quarter and also came off the bench in the third quarter. Alvarado did not play until garbage time in the fourth quarter. “I said this before, every position coming off the bench is a competition, all the time,” Brown said. “Nobody’s minutes are set in stone. … Jose had the first opportunity in our last game. And then I gave Tyler an opportunity in the second half [against the Nets on Monday] and Tyler played well.” Kolek is on a team-friendly $2,296,271 contract and the team holds an option on his 2027/28 deal.
• Has Jalen Brunson achieved “face of the NBA” status? The New York Post’s Peter Botte examines that question, noting Brunson has become a transcendent figure in pop culture beyond basketball, unlike Thunder guard and two-time Most Valuable Player Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
• Landry Shamet has an unusual talent — creating closeouts as a perimeter threat and those often lead to fruitful possessions, James Edwards III of The Athletic writes. Edwards notes that last season, defenders flew by him on 131 closeouts, including the regular season and playoffs. The Knicks averaged 1.38 points on those plays, according to Second Spectrum. Only two other players — Luke Kennard and Duncan Robinson — were more efficient on closeouts that led to points for their respective teams.