LAS VEGAS — For obvious reasons, Tyler Nickel prefers to wear No. 5.
But that uniform was taken by Knicks guard Jose Alvarado. So Nickel settled for double-nickel.
“T-Nick is my nickname, but a lot of people call me T-5,” said Nickel, the No. 47 overall pick in last month’s draft. “So [No.] 5 has been me. So when [No.] 55 was available, I was like, ‘OK, I can’t get [No.] 5, so [No.] 55 is cool.’ ”
If Nickel carves out an NBA career, he’ll be defined by a different digit — 3.
As the second-round pick demonstrated in his first two summer league games, his greatest asset is his proficiency from beyond the arc.
Nickel dropped six treys on 10 attempts Friday against the Nets, the lone positive in a blowout defeat that featured ugly performances from summer league vets Mohamed Diawara, Pacôme Dadiet and Dillon Jones.
On Saturday, Nickel again was the Knicks’ leading scorer with 16 points on 6-for-14 shooting in 30 minutes in the Knicks’ 70-49 loss to the Spurs.
“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 [Detroit’s] Duncan Robinson, [Cleveland’s] Max Strus, [Boston’s] 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.”
All those players, including Nickel, have two things in common: They’re catch-and-shoot specialists, and they’re white.
“Hey, listen,” the 22-year-old Vanderbilt product laughed when told he was making just white-player comparisons. “They got roles in the league.”
Nickel, who is from Virginia and talks with a Southern twang, will struggle to stay on an NBA court if he can’t competently defend.
It’s considered his weakness, but the 6-foot-7 Nickel has the size to make it work with enough effort.
According to TJ Saint, coach of the Knicks’ summer league team, Nickel committed to defense during minicamp last week.
“He’s been shooting all right. His defense has actually been impressive in the camp,” Saint said. “When we were in the airport the other day, I went over to talk to him, and he was studying our playbook, so I already like where he’s at, getting ahead of the game.”
Despite his promise, Nickel is unlikely to command a standard contract for the defending champs.
He’s a candidate for a two-way deal, though, and that should all be sorted out during training camp in late September into October.
Nickel’s 18-point game against the Nets drew the attention of Josh Hart, who tweeted during the action, “[No.] 55 got a chop,” in reference to the forward’s shooting stroke.
As Kevin McCullar Jr. and especially Diawara demonstrated last season, there always could be unexpected opportunities for young players.
In the meantime, Nickel’s wearing two 5s in Vegas and taking 3s.
“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.”
Vegas intel
Everybody is awaiting The Decision 2.0 from LeBron James — including another future Hall of Famer on the market.
According to a league source, Russell Westbrook is a candidate to join the Heat but not if LeBron signs in Miami.
Westbrook, 37, is a diminished version of his former MVP self but still averaged 15.2 points over 64 games last season with the Kings.
James, meanwhile, is sifting through his options in free agency. Miami, Cleveland and Philadelphia are considered the front-runners.
Westbrook and James were teammates with the Lakers for 1 ½ seasons and struggled, winning just 33 games and falling to 11th in the West in 2021-22.
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