Knicks Quickly Make Up for Draft Heartbreak on Summer League Team
The first week of July is in full swing, meaning the 2026 NBA Summer League's Las Vegas circuit will begin on Thursday. Knicks fans are excited to see what the franchise's up-and-comers will do during the annual summertime action, as it offers opportunities to rookies-such as No. 47 overall pick Tyler Nickel-to prove their potential while others hope to give New York enough reasons to keep them around.
As exciting as it will be to see the Knicks' next generation in action, some fans around the Big Apple were disappointed by the franchise's lack of picks out of St. John's University. After all, Red Storm prospects like Zuby Ejiofor and Dillon Mitchell were linked to the Knicks in the lead-up to the draft. It would've been great to see either local talent begin their NBA career in New York; instead, Ejiofor is with the Hawks (drafted 23rd overall) while Mitchell landed with the Celtics (40th).
Although the Knicks didn't acquire any St. John's prospects during the two-day event, a recent Summer League decision should bring a smile to local fans' faces.
Knicks sign Oziyah Sellers to NBA Summer League roster
With NBA Summer League about to start, the Knicks announced their roster earlier this week (h/t IanBegley), which included St. John's guard Oziyah Sellers. The 6-foot-5 shooter reportedly signed with New York on June 26, according to 247 Sports' Dushawn London, meaning there clearly was a priority to bring him in as soon as the draft ended.
St. John's guard Oziyah Sellers has signed a Summer League deal with the New York Knicks, source tells @247Sportspic.twitter.com/iB0jNce3Rp
- Dushawn London (@DushawnLondon1) June 26, 2026
The 2025-26 NCAA season was Sellers's first season with St. John's after spending two years at USC and another at Stanford.
The move to the Big East was a great decision, as he averaged 10.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 0.5 steals while playing 28.6 minutes per appearance in a career-high 37 games (36 starts). Sellers's 35.1% shooting rate on 4.1 three-pointer attempts per game was a drop-off from the previous year's 40.1 3P%; however, his career percentage of 37.8% gives reason to believe that he can succeed from distance as a pro.
Sellers played a key role in the Red Storm winning the Big East regular-season title. He also averaged 8.5 ppg on .396/.348/1.000 splits in six games across the conference tournament and three rounds of March Madness, showing that he might be able to handle basketball's brightest spotlights. That could appeal to the Knicks as they prepare to chase the second of back-to-back NBA Championships.
The Knicks have had several ex-Red Storm players on the roster throughout their history, including Mark Jackson, Maurice Harkless and Metta World Peace. It's far too early to tell if Sellers will ever match any of their careers, as he'll have to prove his worth as he faces an uphill battle to make the roster, starting with Summer League next week.
At the end of the day, it will be nice to have extra incentive to watch the Knicks' summer slate. A local young gun eventually making the roster would be a tremendous feel-good story, giving New York fans every reason to cheer for Sellers in the coming weeks.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/yankees/onsi as Knicks Quickly Make Up for Draft Heartbreak on Summer League Team.
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This story was originally published July 4, 2026 at 10:00 AM.