Asked whether whatever kept Josh Hart out could linger into Oct. 20, Knicks coach Mike Brown said: "Not from— not from my understanding, yeah." He gave no detail on what the issue was, so the reason Hart sat remains unexplained.
Mohamed Diawara got the start so he could get preseason reps against top scoring wings. Knicks coach Mike Brown: "I wanted him as a young big wing to be able to guard either Kawhi or Barnes." Brown said Diawara showed growth.
Pacome Dadiet showed growth but still has to do a better job staying in front of the ball, Knicks coach Mike Brown said. "But, man, I thought he tried to be physical." Brown also joked about Dadiet's late backcourt violation.
Andre Drummond's job for the Knicks, per Mike Brown: screen and roll on offense, protect the rim by going straight up on defense. "We need Andre to screen and roll and put pressure on our opponents," Brown said, adding that Drummond did both well.
Jamison Battle practiced and will be available Oct. 15, Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said. Battle, Allen Graves and Kyle Anderson are in an open race for the 9th through 11th rotation spots, and Rajakovic said he is "not gonna shy away from throwing different guys in the fire."
Kawhi Leonard was planned for 15 minutes in his Raptors debut, in shifts of 5 or fewer. Darko Rajakovic said the style is so demanding "it's going to be really hard for anybody to play full 12 minutes." Main players in both of the next two games? "I do have a plan, yes."
Collin Murray-Boyles is still adjusting to a new Raptors role: alongside Jakob Poeltl, Darko Rajakovic said, one plays by the rim and the other higher up in pick-and-rolls. Next step is 3-pointers and attacking off the dribble. He says he'll shoot when defenders sag off.