'Energy and Effort!': Knicks Summer League Star QJ Peterson Reflects on Vegas Adventure
The New York Knicks might not make a more meaningful acquisition this season than QJ Peterson.
Every Knick that passes through the Manhattan ledger this season could take a lesson from Peterson, a well-traveled professional basketball veteran that partook in New York's Vegas Summer League slate. The 28-year-old offered a detailed documentation of his unlikely NBA journey on Instagram, capping it off with a statement of gratitude.
“God....thank you!! This opportunity you blessed me with impacted a ton of lives other than mine and I'm glad you used me as an example!!" Peterson wrote. "Thank you everyone for all the love and support throughout this Summer League!! Thank you New York Knicks organization for giving me the opportunity to display my talents on the highest stage in front of millions of people!!”
Peterson, standing at 6-0 and 183 lbs., more than likely won't appear on the Knicks' NBA roster this season, as it was perhaps shocking enough that he was included in the Vegas mix. His summer story should no doubt provide inspiration in both Manhattan and beyond, particularly to those who find their backs against the wall and perhaps losing hope in their professional journeys.
In the Beginning
Having traversed across professional leagues in Europe and Asia since a lucrative Division I career at Virginia Military Institute ended in 2017, Peterson partook in a three-day Knicks minicamp before Summer League play. He took full advantage of the opportunity, asking head coach Tom Thibodeau what he had to do to expand his professional exposure.
"After minicamp, I walk into Coach Thibodeau's office and say ‘Hey Coach I just wanted to thank you for the opportunity to showcase my talents here, I really enjoyed it! I have one question for you: what do I have to do to make it in the league?'"
"He says, 'At your height being 6-0, you need to be a pest on defense, guard the full length of the court, dive on the floor, be everywhere on the court! Your offense is your strong suit, but your defense will get you in and you need to be seen more!' I said, “Thank you, Coach, it means a lot you took the time to tell me this,' and walked out."
Peterson assumed his New York affairs, while valuable, were over as quickly as they began. But destiny came calling in the form of his agent, who had an intriguing offer: the Knicks wanted to offer him a business trip to Las Vegas, but warned him from the get-go that his playing time would be limited. The Knicks' Summer League activities were a bit muted after a runner-up finish in 2022, though the team still sought to use the time to foster young projects like Trevor Keels, Jaylen Martin, and Isaiah Roby.
Even though Peterson had international paydays on the table, he opted to accept the Knicks' offer.
"I told my agent ‘Look, let's do it!!'" I've come this far, let's see it through, I'm just going to have to force their hand and make it extremely hard for them not to play me!! However, I'm here to do whatever they need me to do, whether I play zero minutes or 40 minutes, they will have the hardest worker, best leader on and off the court, and (I'll) do whatever I can to help develop the young guys and encourage them out there! Whatever my role is, I will do!!’"
Bench Impress
Peterson made his gratitude apparent from the get-go: Summer League practices began on July 4 but he joined the team the week prior, earning more facetime with Thibodeau.
As the Knicks foretold, Peterson did not take the floor in the first contest against Philadelphia. If he couldn't make an impact on the box score, Peterson sought to adjust his team's mental affairs. He was later able to transfer that energy to the floor in game two: with no hope of a comeback against the Brooklyn Nets, Peterson was granted entry late in the game and got on the statsheet with a three-pointer in the 98-80 defeat.
"(I) did not see a minute of action, but was one of the loudest talkers on the floor! The best teammate, high-fiving guys, helping young guys see the game better! That was my role for game 1! We lose game 1! Same goes for game 2 we lose but got in the last 3 minutes of the game when we were already down by a lot! The minute I get in the game, I hit a 3 and press up full court like my life depends on it!!"
More or less removed from the Summer League postseason conversation, head coach Dice Yoshimoto was granted some flexibility for the remaining three games. He hardly needed to tell Peterson to be prepared, but delivered the message anyway.
Armed with a mantra of "ENERGY AND EFFORT," Peterson was a burst of liveliness in the third game against the Orlando Magic's prospect. The Knicks fell behind by as much as 13 in the second half but Peterson's work off the bench helped them crawl back in and conjure up a victory. Peterson had 19 points and led the Knicks in rebounds (9) and assists (5, tied with Marcus Garrett) en route to an 82-80 victory in overtime.
This time it was Peterson on the end of grateful declarations.
“Everyone is happy about the win, but more so happy for me, and credit me for the win because of the ENERGY AND EFFORT I brought off the bench!! They know how hard I worked every day, how I could have pouted because I wasn't playing, but instead stayed ready and focused on the game, encouraging guys, and when it was my time, they trusted in me, trusted my leadership and rallied behind the energy and effort I brought! My role was to bring energy and effort and veteran leadership and get the job done by any means necessary!!"
The Knicks won their final scheduled game against the Boston Celtics in relatively one-sided fashion at 97-89. Peterson admitted that his scoring was not up to par (4 points on 2-of-9 shooting) but once again stressed his "ENERGY AND EFFORT" and doing "all the small things out there."
Starting at The End
Predictably left out of the Summer League semifinals after their opening losses, the Knicks were granted a consolation game against the prospects of the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets. With the Knicks resting summer stars like Martin, Roby, and Charlie Brown Jr., Peterson was thrust into the starting five.
The dream became a nightmare fairly quickly: the Knicks surrendered the first 15 points of the game and it was Peterson who finally got them on the board with a free throw. During a timeout, Peterson took on a vocal role in willing the Knicks back into the game.
"I told guys, playoffs or no playoffs, everything matters!! This matters!! You get very few chances in the NBA!! Take advantage of it!! We are going to be okay, it's a very long game!! We continue to fight all game, not giving up!!"
New York inched its way back, whittling a 20-plus point deficit down to 13 by the time their final period rolled around. Having done his job vocally, Peterson opted for a more traditional impact over the final 10 minutes.
Fulfilling a promise of a statistical takeover to Yoshimoto, Peterson scored 17 of the Knicks' final 29 summer points, even pushing New York to a few brief leads in the final frame. Leading the team with 25 points, Peterson and the Knicks were shockingly able to set up several opportunities for him to send the game into overtime, but his would-be tying triple fell short as time expired, ending the campaign on an 89-86 defeat to Denver.
Leaving Las Vegas
Even though Peterson's heroic heaves were not meant for a Hollywood ending, his teammates assured him that not only was he far from the reason for defeat but that they were more than happy with him putting those shots.
"Everyone said to me after the game, we all wanted you to take those shots! You worked hard every day, you had it going, and you weren't afraid of the moment! There's nothing to hang your head about!"
“To hear that from a group of guys who I've only known for 2 weeks means a lot to me! This entire Summer League has been an amazing experience!! I had chances where I could have quit, could have had an ego, could have said I'm better than this, yet I choose to think about everyone back home, every kid in the stands, my family how it'd make them look!! I made it BIGGER than MYSELF!! No matter what I may have been feeling, I made it bigger than myself!!
With a packed international resume (including 2021 MVP honors in Denmark's Basketligaen), Peterson should be able to continue his professional journey one way or another.
Time will tell if that next opportunity comes in the NBA's domestic affairs, but, even if this is truly the end of his association with the Association, Peterson was nonetheless proud to leave a lasting impression.
"I turned a lot of eyes with different NBA teams at Summer League solely off my ENERGY and EFFORT and affecting the game in a positive way by just playing hard, showing a great attitude, and being a great teammate and leader!! All the feedback received had nothing to do with me being able to score, it was all because of the things listed above, playing like my life depended on it!!"
“What I want you all to take from this, no matter where you come from, no matter your height, whether you're a 5-star athlete or no-star athlete, always bet on yourself! Always be ready so you don't have to get ready, and be a great teammate and person! Do all of the little things. because the little things matter!! Find your WHY that makes things bigger than just yourself, to help you keep going when things get tough!!"
Geoff Magliocchetti is on Twitter @GeoffJMags
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