Knicks Sign Former Auburn Guard Jared Harper To Two-Way Contract; Announce Signing Of Nerlens Noel

The Knicks on Wednesday officially announced the signing of former Auburn guard Jared Harper to a Two-Way Contract.

Harper joins former North Carolina wing Theo Pinson as the other Two-Way Contract with the Knicks.

Pinson and Harper will essentially serve as the 16th and 17th men on the Knicks roster out of training camp, unless someone beats them out. Camp begins Dec. 1.

The 5-foot-11, 175-pound Harper helped lead Auburn to the NCAA Final Four in 2019, and Tigers coach Bruce Pearl spoke highly of him this summer.

“The Knicks are getting a true scoring point guard,” Pearl told me. “He’s under-sized but pound-for-pound is as strong and athletic as any player out there on the floor. He has tremendous range and the ability to pull from deep. He’s special in ball-screen and plays at a real good tempo.”

After going undrafted last year, Harper signed a Two-Way with the Phoenix Suns. In 33 games with their G League team, Harper led Northern Arizona with averages of 20.8 points and 5.7 assists per game.

The Knicks have a slew of point guards on the roster with Elfrid Payton, Dennis Smith Jr. and Frank Ntilikina, but Harper could help out depending on his play and how the other guards perform.

“He’s just a flat-out winner and he’s got a chip on his shoulder,” Pearl said. “He’s not afraid, he’s not intimidated. He’s got a great confidence and you need that at that level.

“I told people when he came to Auburn, that he’d be worth the price of admission and that will be the case in New York as well.”

KNICKS SIGN NOEL

The Knicks also announced the signing of 6-10 former Kentucky big man Nerlens Noel, one of four former Wildcats on the roster.

“Nerlens was a great pickup and let me tell you why,” Kentucky coach John Calipari said this week. “Now it’s time for the breakthrough for him. What they’re trying to do and how they’re trying to do it, they’re not trying to do anything to hurry. They’ve got a terrific coach, a proven coach, a playoff coach and now they just gotta build within. And they’re going to start doing it.”

KNICKS ADD TO STAFF

The Knicks also made several additions to the staff, including naming Darren Erman an assistant coach and Larry Greer an assistant coach/advance scout.