LAS VEGAS — Isaiah Roby may have a shot at a role with the Knicks next season following the trade of Obi Toppin to the Pacers.
But right now, the 6-foot-8 forward’s focus is on daily improvement as he works his way back following a major ankle injury that cut his season short last year.
He was medically cleared just two weeks ago.
Although he is 25 years old and has played in 151 NBA games across four seasons, Roby wanted to play in the summer league to get his legs back underneath him before training camp in the fall.
“I’ve been working back, rehabbing, getting ready for this,” he said after scoring 12 points and grabbing six rebounds in the Knicks’ 98-80 loss Sunday to the Nets at Cox Pavilion. “I’m still in that mode. My focus has been getting ready for this. … I feel a little slow right now. I haven’t played live basketball in a long time. Summer league is a little bit of a test for me right now.”
The Knicks signed Roby on the final day of the regular season even though he was ineligible for the playoffs.
It was an unforgettable experience for him, getting to witness the postseason up close for the first time.
“From the first game I was there against Cleveland and we had our pregame speech, it was so detailed,” Roby recalled. “The coverages were more detailed, and everything was so much more precise. That was my first taste of that. We had a giant playbook. I look forward to being part of it next year.”
Roby’s best year came in 2021-22 with the Thunder when he averaged 10.1 points and 4.8 rebounds in 21.1 minutes spanning 45 games while shooting an impressive 44.4 percent from 3-point range on 2.2 attempts per game.
Last season with the Spurs, Roby averaged 4.1 points and 2.6 rebounds in 42 games.
Now with the Knicks, he has an opportunity to play his way into a role as the backup power forward.
This summer is the beginning of showing them he can handle that role.
“Just continue to get better each game, continue to learn the philosophy here with the Knicks,” Roby said when asked about his goals in summer league. “Me, personally, playing winning basketball and contributing to a winning team [is important].”
The Knicks were ahead at the half, but were outscored by 20 after halftime Sunday.
Jaylen Martin, the 19-year-old undrafted free agent who played the last two years in the high school league Overtime Elite, played well for the second straight game, scoring 15 points to go along with six assists, four rebounds and two steals.
Charlie Moore Jr. led the Knicks with 16 points.