Manny Obaseki could return to Westchester for another developmental season as the Knicks evaluate whether the athletic young wing has long-term NBA potential.
The New York Knicks’ most important offseason decisions will naturally revolve around the NBA roster, but another layer of roster building is quietly taking shape in Westchester.
With the G League calendar beginning after the NBA season tips off, New York will soon have to decide which developmental players deserve another year inside the organization. One of the more intriguing names is Manny Obaseki, a 23-year-old wing who joined Westchester midway through last season and flashed enough athleticism and two-way potential to warrant a longer evaluation.
Obaseki is not currently an NBA rotation candidate, and his absence from the Knicks’ 2026 Summer League roster was notable. But that does not necessarily signal the end of his time with the organization.
For a franchise already carrying an expensive championship core, finding low-cost developmental talent matters. Westchester gives New York an opportunity to evaluate players such as Obaseki without sacrificing valuable NBA roster flexibility.
Obaseki Showed Enough in Westchester to Earn Another Look
Obaseki joined Westchester in January after beginning his professional career with Oklahoma City’s G League affiliate.
Across 21 games with the Knicks’ affiliate, he averaged 7.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists while contributing 1.3 combined steals and blocks per game. He also shot 47.5% from the field and 47.6% from three, although the latter came on very limited perimeter volume.
Those numbers alone do not make him a high-end prospect.
The more interesting part of his season was how his production changed when he received a larger role.
Obaseki reached double figures 10 times and produced several performances that highlighted the versatility that once made him a highly regarded recruit. Against Wisconsin shortly after joining Westchester, he finished with 15 points, seven rebounds, six assists and three blocks, displaying the type of all-around impact that makes developmental staffs take notice.
Later in the season, he scored 16 points in only 21 minutes against Noblesville while shooting 6-of-9 from the floor.
His earlier G League stint also showed what could happen with heavier minutes. During an eight-game stretch that included six starts, Obaseki averaged 11.4 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in nearly 32 minutes per game.
That matters because Westchester’s rotation last season included established scorers and higher-profile developmental players, limiting Obaseki’s opportunities at times.
A full second season could provide a much cleaner evaluation.
Why the Knicks Should Keep Developing Obaseki Instead of Moving On
Obaseki’s most obvious NBA-level trait remains his athleticism.
At 6-foot-4 and roughly 200 pounds, he has the physical tools to defend multiple perimeter positions, play above the rim and create transition offense. Those are useful qualities in a league increasingly built around versatile wings.
The questions are much more technical.
Can he become a reliable three-point shooter on real volume? Can he make quick decisions without dominating the ball? Can his defensive athleticism translate into consistent positional discipline?
Those are exactly the types of questions the G League is designed to answer.
His 47.6% three-point percentage with Westchester looks impressive on paper, but the sample size is too small to draw meaningful conclusions. A season in which he takes three or four attempts per game would tell the Knicks far more about whether his shooting can become a genuine NBA skill.
The same applies defensively.
Obaseki has always possessed the tools to become an impact defender. What matters now is converting athleticism into repeatable habits — navigating screens, staying disciplined off the ball and defending without relying entirely on recovery speed.
That development would be particularly valuable to New York.
The Knicks do not need Obaseki to become a star. If he eventually develops into an inexpensive wing who can defend, run the floor and make open shots, that is already a useful outcome for a team operating near the top of the salary structure.
His Summer League omission does create uncertainty.
But it should not automatically be interpreted as a final verdict. New York may simply prefer to evaluate different players in that environment while keeping Obaseki’s G League rights or considering another Westchester opportunity when camps open.
That decision should become clearer around late October, when G League training camp rosters are finalized.
For now, Obaseki remains exactly the type of player worth monitoring: low cost, physically gifted and still young enough to improve.
The Knicks have already built a championship-level NBA roster. Their next challenge is finding inexpensive players who can eventually support it.
Obaseki may never reach that point.
But another season in Westchester could be the simplest way to find out.
