Derek Fisher will make his New York Knicks coaching debut Friday afternoon when his squad takes on the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA’s Las Vegas Summer League.

While many view the summer session as merely a series of scrimmages, D-Fish sees it as much more. Not only will it be an opportunity for him to become familiar with his new role as a coach, but it will also allow him to learn a lot about the young players who could be playing a major role on his team this season.

“We’re taking this very seriously,” Derek said. “It’s an opportunity to take myself through a lot of things as a new coach, but also keep an eye on these young guys that are going to be on our roster. There are a number of guys who have helped win games before and will help us win in the future. So i’m excited to have a chance to do that this week.”

Of all the players Coach Fisher will be analyzing this summer, second-year guard Tim Hardaway Jr. could have the biggest impact next season. The Michigan product averaged 10.2 points per game and earned first-team NBA All-Rookie honors last year. Thus far, his coach has been thrilled with the attitude and effort he has brought to this offseason session.

“It speaks to Tim and his character that he’s taking this seriously,” Fish said. “He’s taking this like a pro and that’s what we all love about him. I’ve enjoyed getting closer to him in the last few days and I look forward to many more with him.”

In addition to Hardaway, New York’s Summer League team features several players who could play a role for the Knicks during the regular season, including promising young point guard Shane Larkin, the 18th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, who the Knicks recently obtained from the Dallas Mavericks in a trade that sent Tyson Chandler and Raymond Felton to Dallas and also brought Jose Calderon and Samuel Dalembert to New York.

The summer squad also features big man Cole Aldrich, a former teammate of Derek’s who will be entering his sixth year in the league and second in Manhattan. Aldrich said this week that he’s looking forward to being coached by his former teammate.

“I sent him a text after I found out he’d be coach,” Aldrich said. “I played with him in OKC. We were close. He’s going to do a great job in New York. That’s a tough place to be a coach. He has those skills and that mind-set of being a really good coach. When I was his teammate, he’d take the white board and draw stuff up. He’s good with all that. I’m looking forward to summer league. He’s going to be there coaching. It’s going to be fun.”

With a trio of young players with NBA experience, the Knicks Summer League team is primed to succeed, but much of the buzz going into Friday’s opener against Dallas surrounds New York’s two 2014 draftees: Thanasis Antetokounmpo and Cleanthony Early.

Antetokounmpo, the 51st overall pick in the 2014 draft, spent last season in the NBA Developmental League with the Delaware 87ers, where he averaged 12 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.3 blocks per contest. He’s the older brother of Milwaukee Bucks guard Giannis Antetokounmpo. While the skill of the Greek standout has been apparent to this point, Fish as been more impressed with the work ethic of the 6’7″ guard, which has earned him the nickname “No Chill” among members of the NYK summer squad.

“He’s a great young man,” Derek said of Thanasis. “He works hard in every situation. It could be warm-up drill, and he’s going hard, working hard. And we love those kind of guys.”

Early, the 34th overall pick, is a rangy 6’8″ small forward, who led Wichita State to a remarkable 34-0 regular season record and just three points shy of a Sweet 16 berth in the NCAA tournament last year. D-Fish said he has seen a similar tenacity in Early to that of Antetokounmpo.

“Cleanthony is a joy to be around,” Fish said. “He plays the game with a hunger and a passion, but with a smile on his face at the same time. I’m excited to have him a part of our group. He has a chance to be a great pro. His mindset is the right one. And that’s why we drafted him. We saw all these things in him, and we wanted him to be a part of what we’re trying to do.”

From the newcomers to the returners, Derek has been thoroughly impressed with what he has seen out of the youngsters on his Summer League roster.

“A lot of these young guys will surprise you,” Coach Fish said. “Not just in terms of what they think about basketball, but the type of people they are—that kids born in the 90s aren’t as bad as we think.”

New York tips off its Summer League slate Friday afternoon at 4 p.m. EDT against the Mavericks.

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