Knicks' Jack Kayil Has Impressed During Summer League, But Is There Roster Spot For Him In 2026-27?

Jack Kayil has impressed the Knicks with his play in Summer League. 

The rookie had 19 points, three steals and four assists earlier this week against the Pistons. Kayil added 12 points and three assists in his Summer League debut last week against San Antonio. 

Not bad for a 19-year-old taken with the 39th pick in the NBA Draft. 

If you’re watching these games, you may be surprised by Kayil’s play so far. But those who have followed him closely overseas are not.  

“With him, it’s always basketball. He has a conviction and commitment on trying to be the best possible player he can be,” said Himar Ojeda, the sporting director for Kayil’s team in Germany, Alba Berlin. “He put a lot of effort in trying to take care of himself physically, mentally – sometimes even too much for a young kid. …you know, he’s 19 and he acts like a veteran in certain routines. But that's why he's been successful.” 

The Knicks obviously thought highly enough of Kayil to select him in the second round of the draft. Both Kayil and fellow rookie Tyler Nickel have impressed team personnel in Las Vegas. 

If their early play in Vegas is an indication, both players could have a future with the Knicks. New York needs to find young players and sign them to team-friendly contracts in order to navigate the NBA’s second apron rules. It would be an organizational win if both Nickel and Kayil play their way on to New York’s NBA roster. 

It’s only Summer League, but it seems as if the Knicks have found two promising young players in Nickel and Kayil. Can they earn a spot on the 2026-27 roster?

New York is currently $3.3 million below the second apron with 13 players and with room for one more minimum. Owner James Dolan said in June that the team would not exceed the NBA’s second apron in team salary. 

New York still needs a third center. If the club signs a center to a veteran’s minimum contract, New York would not have enough room under the second apron to sign either Nickel or Kayil to a contract via the second round exception.

Entering free agency, the plan for Kayil was to spend next season with his overseas club. The Knicks can obviously alter those plans by offering him an NBA contract, but as noted above, they are limited by the second apron.

New York could offer Kayil or Nickel a two-way contract for next season. But in this scenario, New York would be prohibited from paying Kayil’s buyout from his German club. The buyout has to be executed between the player and his overseas team. The Knicks can offer Nickel a two-way contract without this limitation.

In the two-way scenario, the Knicks could convert either Kayil or Nickel to a standard contract once the pro-rated amount fits under the second apron.

Whatever happens from here, it’s safe to assume that both Nickel and Kayil will have an opportunity to play for the Knicks in the near future. For Kayil, the only question is whether he is with New York in 2026-27 or in a subsequent season.

Whenever Kayil gets his chance, the guard will come to New York with some qualities that are precursors to NBA success.

“He can play defense and he can shoot the ball. Normally, for a point guard, it limits you if you don’t have these capacities and he definitely has them,” Ojeda, who previously served as Director of International Scouting for the Atlanta Hawks, says. “He's also mature in the sense that he has been a clutch player for us this season (in Kayil’s first year in the Bundesliga, the most senior league in Germany). He’s the one that wants to have the ball in his hands and he's not afraid to take the last shot.”

Case in point: Kayil struggled early in the do-or-die Game 5 of Alba Berlin’s championship series against traditional powerhouse Bayern Munich. But he wasn’t scared to have the ball in his hands late – and he delivered. Kayil scored 10 crucial points in the last six minutes of the fourth quarter as Alba Berlin came back from down 20 points at halftime to win.

Ojeda, who has known Kayil since he was "a little kid," was impressed by Kayil’s mentality late in games.

“I've known him since he's very, very young, but this is still something that surprises me. So yeah, this is Jack Kayil,” Ojeda says. “It shows that he’s a competitor and (has) a brave mentality.

“Here, every game counts. It’s not like you can try three, four times to take the last shot (and miss the shot while expecting another opportunity). No, no. We need to win the games. Of course, maybe (you miss a big shot) one time. But it’s not as if you can take that shot three times and miss.

“So when he came back and still wanted to redeem himself and he (played well in the fourth quarter of the decisive championship game), that was a big thing.”

Kayil’s mentality was probably one of the qualities that kept him on New York’s radar ahead of the draft. If things continue to go well, it will be one of the reasons Kayil earns a bigger opportunity with the Knicks.