With Cameron Payne dealing with a hamstring, New York Knicks rookie guard Tyler Kolek has gotten an opportunity to prove himself worthy of maintaining a spot in head coach Tom Thibodeau’s rotation.
Knicks’ Tyler Kolek has taken advantage of his opportunity
The second-round rookie out of Marquette has made the most of his opportunity thus far. In Friday night’s blowout victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, Kolek recorded eight points on 3-for-5 shooting (2-for-4 from three), four rebounds and two assists. He was a big factor into the Knicks’ crisp ball movement overall, and is quickly making a name for himself in the early part of the season.
Kolek also played a season-high 16 minutes and served as a nice backup for Jalen Brunson, who had an off night shooting the ball with just 15 points on 6-for-14 shooting. In the playing time Kolek has gotten, he has flashed the positive traits that made him such an intriguing pick in this past year’s draft.
Kolek is putting on an impressive scoring display
The 6-2 guard is known for his precise playmaking, but he has been incredibly efficient scoring the ball. Kolek has converted six of his first eight attempts from three-point range and has a true-shooting percentage of 94.9%. Of course, the sample size is very small, but he has made the most out of his limited opportunity so far.
Brunson spoke highly about Kolek after Friday’s win over the Bucks, praising his work ethic.
“As a teammate, off the court, I love him. On the court, he’s the hardest worker and he’s gonna have a long career,” Brunson said (h/t SNY).
When the Knicks are at full strength, it is unclear if Kolek will maintain this role he has been thrusted into or if he will be out of the rotation once again. Regardless, he is showing a lot of potential very early in his NBA career, which could benefit him as far as seeing more playing time as the season progresses.