Tyler Nickel is well aware of why he was selected 47th overall in last month’s draft, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Post. The former Vanderbilt standout, who has yet to sign his first NBA contract, has converted 10 of his 21 three-point attempts through two Summer League games with the Knicks in Las Vegas.

“I definitely feel like I have some comparisons in the league. I feel like I’m a mix of some different guys: my size, my strength, my shooting ability,” Nickel said. “I feel really comfortable shooting off the move, so like Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, Sam Hauser. But then I have my own type of way of being. So it’s kind of a mix of a lot of people but also myself.”

A 6’7″ wing, Nickel converted 39.4% of his career three-point attempts in college on high volume. Defense is viewed as his weak point, according to Bondy, who says Nickel is unlikely to sign a standard contract with New York but is a candidate for a two-way deal.

“I heard my name called [at the draft], and seeing it being the Knicks, I was super excited,” Nickel said. “Obviously, a championship organization. I thought it was perfect; a perfect situation to see what winning is all about. The standard that they hold everybody to in the program, I feel like it’s perfect for me to be on.”

Here’s more on the Knicks:

• German guard Jack Kayil, the 39th pick in June’s draft, says he’d prefer to continue his career in the NBA rather than being stashed overseas, but acknowledges he doesn’t have much control over the situation, according to Bondy. “My goal is to play in the NBA,” Kayil said. “That’s why I went into the draft. … It’s not my decision, so I’m just trying to show myself in the best way, and it is what it is. … I’m super happy I also got drafted, and we’ll see what happens in the next days, weeks, whatever.” Kayil had 12 points (on 5-of-14 shooting), five rebounds, three assists and two steals in 21 minutes in his Summer League debut on Saturday.
• The Knicks have lost their first two Summer League games in Las Vegas by an average of 23.5 points. Fresh off signing a four-year, $11.2MM contract to remain with New York, French forward Mohamed Diawara has struggled in his first two Summer League outings, averaging 3.5 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.0 turnovers in 24.7 minutes per game while shooting just 1-of-14 from the field. “I got to do way better. At the level we played last season, I got to do way better,” Diawara said after Friday’s loss (story via Bondy). “I can’t play like I played today.”
• In a subscriber-only story for The Post, Bondy takes a closer look at the background of Summer League head coach T.J. Saint, who’s entering his second season as an assistant on Mike Brown‘s staff. As Bondy writes, Saint spent three seasons as head coach of the Pelicans’ G League affiliate and another three as an assistant, and has also spent time with the Pistons and Hawks organizations.