New York Knicks guard Tyler Kolek is vying for a spot in new head coach Mike Brown’s rotation, but so far, it has not been a smooth sailing ship in Summer League for him.
Knicks’ Tyler Kolek is really struggling in Summer League
After a rough performance against the Detroit Pistons on Friday, he followed that up with another stinker on Sunday against the Boston Celtics. In that game, he scored just three points in 29 minutes and shot 1-for-13 from the floor and 0-for-6 from three-point range.
Furthermore, turnovers continued to haunt him, as he turned the ball over four times with just four assists. This came after he uncharacteristically threw five turnovers in the loss against Detroit.
Kolek, who was drafted 34th overall by the Knicks in last year’s draft, has not had the kind of showing he was hoping for in Summer League thus far. One of the things that made him so impressive last year was his playmaking and quality ball control, but both of those things have not been strong in the first two games of Summer League.
Kolek needs to turn things around
New York has made it known that they are still in the market to bring in another backup guard, and Kolek’s struggles are creating a new problem for New York. They may need to head back to the drawing board and find a proper ball handler who can back up Jalen Brunson, as Kolek may not be a good long-term fit back there.
Of course, Summer League is a time where players try out different parts of their game, and the lack of experience with the guys he is sharing the floor with could play a factor in his struggles. However, he needs to put in a strong performance to prove that he is worth getting an extended look at in the regular season.
Kolek will have his next opportunity to bounce back on Tuesday, when he and the Knicks take on the Brooklyn Nets at 6 PM EST.
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