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Knicks’ first-round pick Dadiet adjusts to NBA Summer League play

Knicks’ first-round pick Dadiet adjusts to NBA Summer League play

LAS VEGAS — Pacome Dadiet was confident on draft night. Shortly after the Knicks selected him with the 25th overall pick, their only first-round selection, he declared his intention to come to the NBA now rather than remain overseas as an inexperienced 18-year-old.

Dadiet’s first test with the team showed that he now realizes there is a lot to learn.

Dadiet signed with the Knicks to remain in the United States after playing two seasons in France as a 16-year-old and last season in Germany.

Dadiet made his debut in the starting lineup with the Knicks on Saturday in the Las Vegas Summer League, playing nearly 30 minutes but scoring just five points on 2-for-8 shooting. He was 0-for-3 from beyond the arc, including a pair of air balls in the first half.

“It felt different,” Dadiet said. “I definitely felt the difference. It was a lot faster than what I know in Europe. I struggled to get things going in the game. I felt like I didn’t have enough shots. But the team came back and I think we fought. Defensively we were pretty good.

“Everything (felt faster). It’s not just conditioning, it’s the way you have to find your position on the field… You have to make your decision faster.”

Still, Dadiet is looking forward to spending the season with the Knicks, where he can continue to learn from the team’s coaches and work with and against NBA talent.

“I think we’ve all seen the team play before,” he said. “They’ve got some really good guys and the team is established. I’m just a guy that’s going to be a part of making the team complete, playing hard, playing defense, making open shots. Just being there for guys like Jalen Brunson, those guys.

“Of course (I want to learn from them). I always have experience with that playing, because I’ve been playing professionally for two years. I’ve been the man in the team for two or three years, so I know what it’s like.”

Help for veterans

A league source confirmed that the Knicks agreed to a one-year veteran contract worth at least $3.1 million with Cameron Payne, who had been a thorn in the side of the Philadelphia 76ers in the opening round of the playoffs.

Payne, who was a teammate of Mikal Bridges in Phoenix, is an experienced point guard who can play off the bench and compete with rookie Tyler Kolek and returning veteran Deuce McBride for backup minutes.

After playing less than three minutes in the first two games of the series against the Knicks, Payne, 29, scored a game-high 11 points as a substitute and has averaged 15 minutes per game in the last four games.

He made headlines in the offseason when he was arrested and arrested in Scottsdale, Arizona, on charges including refusing to give an honest name and filing a false police report after police were called to a late-night disturbance.