New York Knicks guard Tyler Kolek wasn’t a regular fixture in head coach Mike Brown’s rotation until recently. Injuries to Miles McBride and Landry Shamet opened up an opportunity for Kolek to make a name for himself, and so far, he has done exactly that.
Knicks’ Tyler Kolek is having the best stretch of his career
Kolek’s best performance of his NBA career came on the biggest stage, making a great impact in the NBA Cup championship game on Tuesday against the Spurs. He scored 14 points off the bench to go along with five rebounds and five assists.
Normally, Kolek doesn’t see the floor much in the fourth quarter and doesn’t play down the stretch. However, Coach Brown trusted him to help bring home the cup title for the Knicks, playing him down the stretch of the fourth quarter, and it paid off.
It was the unsung heroes in Kolek and Jordan Clarkson that made the biggest difference for New York on Tuesday. Without their impact off the bench, the Knicks don’t walk out of Las Vegas with the NBA Cup trophy.
Kolek is finding his groove at the right time
“Played big time. Very happy for him. Maybe a surprise to a bunch of people, but many of you guys see how hard this works. This is big-time for him,” Jalen Brunson said about Kolek after the game (h/t SNY).
Kolek had also performed well in the cup semifinals against the Orlando Magic. In that game, he had the highest plus-minus on the team at +18, making a great impact in his minutes that led them to a key victory.
Kolek’s growth is coming at a great time, as it has been known that the Knicks are looking to make upgrades to their bench. If he continues to play at this high a level, he could become a key piece the rest of the way and into the playoffs.
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