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Posted by Drew Packham

LAS VEGAS — They may have been taken in the second round, but the Knicks’ two Draft day additions are gelling, hoping to become immediate contributors in Mike D’Antoni’s system.

In their debuts Sunday in Las Vegas, Andy Rautins and Landry Fields — taken 38th and 39th respectively — looked comfortable and expressed confidence in grasping the nuances of the NBA game.

Rautins, a guard out of Syracuse, finished with 11 points, going 3-for-8 on 3-pointers, while Fields had 13 points and five rebounds. The pair combined for five steals and seemed relieved afterwards to have their debuts out of the way.

“I just wanted to get out there and have a solid first game,” Fields said. “I didn’t try to do too much, but it’s good to have one under my belt.”

The 6-foot-7 Fields was 6-for-7 from the field and sees himself evolving into a 2 or 3 with the Knicks.

“I’m working on having a quicker release on my shot, because that’s where I’m going to find most of my shots in this system,” said Fields, who was the Pac-10′s leading scorer last year with a 22-point average. “I’ve been working on some corner things, so I need to get it off quicker.”

Rautins says defense is his priority and the growing pains of being a rookie are all relative.

“I don’t think there’s any pain we’re going through,” Rautins said. “It’s a joy to play basketball every day and I’ve become close to Landry.”

Fields, for his part, is also glad to have a rookie cohort.

“Off the court and on the court, we’re close already so the chemistry’s been great and I hope it continues like that,” Fields said. “You’ve got to stick together and in this business you’ve got to find someone, so I’m glad I’ve found him so far.”

Category: Summer League / Tags: , Andy Rautins, Landry Fields, NBA Summer League, New York Knicks / 4 Comments /

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