LAS VEGAS — It was a good omen. Rookie Tim Hardaway Jr. banged in his first shot in a Knicks uniform, a tough 18-footer from the right baseline in the opening seconds of his first summer league game.
Minutes later, newly minted point guard Iman Shumpert tossed an alley-oop Hardaway threw down.
A fearless Hardaway racked up eight points in the first six minutes of his debut Friday at UNLV’s Cox Pavilion, showing glimpses of why the Knicks brass was thrilled he was available in the draft at No. 24.
Though Hardaway tailed off in the second half, he finished with 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting, was 4-of-5 from the free-throw line and had five rebounds and three assists in the Knicks’ 77-72 loss to the Pelicans.
The rookie displayed enough tenacious knowhow to envision a Shumpert-Hardaway backcourt at the Garden for years to come.
Shumpert started at point guard as the Knicks experiment whether he will play there occasionally, as he did as a rookie and at Georgia Tech.
“We got great chemistry going,’’ said Hardaway, whose father, Tim Sr., was on hand. “We’re doing a great job reading and playing off each other. It’s great having a veteran to get through the process.’’
Hardaway, out of Michigan, had no jitters, playing in front of the 2,400 fans.
“I was very comfortable,’’ he said. “The shots in the second half were there. I just need to knock them down. I’ll get better as this continues. I played in front of 75,000 people [in Atlanta in the NCAA championship game ] not many months ago. No big deal.
“It was a good showing. I need to be a lot better. I know that. It’s the first game, playing with guys for the first time for three days.’’
Shumpert had a tough day, though his goal was to spotlight Hardaway. Shumpert was 0-for-5 with four assists and four turnovers. A source said Shumpert might not play another summer league game.
“They encouraged me to come out here and make sure I worked on point guard and facilitate more,’’ he said.
Shumpert beamed when talking about Hardaway.
“I love the way he plays,” Shumpert said. “He knows how to play in a system. He plays both sides of the ball. Anytime you tell him of a problem, he applies it right there.’’
Summer league head coach Jim Todd started Shumpert, Hardaway and C.J. Leslie — the young trio of the future. Leslie fell out of the draft and the Knicks signed him to a two-year deal — the first year guaranteed. Leslie shot just 2-of-9 for seven points, and was admittedly rusty. but showed athleticism in moving beautifully up and down the court, once scoring in transition off a Hardaway feed.
“It was the first time I played 5-on-5 in a while,’’ said Leslie, who injured his hip during pre-draft workouts and shut it down. “I played all right.’’
Point guard Chris Smith, J.R. Smith’s brother, came off the bench to score nine points but combo guard Toure Murry, whom the Knicks are considering for camp after winning a D-League title with Rio Grande, looked solid. He was 4-of-6 for 11 points in 12 minutes.