New York Knicks guard Tyler Kolek saw inconsistent playing time last season with Tom Thibodeau as his head coach. In fact, he wasn’t a regular in the rotation at any point and was not in the playoff rotation.
Knicks’ Tyler Kolek is quickly developing a big role
Now, he is quickly gaining more trust from his new head coach, Mike Brown, and he is in the midst of a phenomenal stretch. In Thursday’s thrilling comeback win over the Indiana Pacers, Kolek had the best performance of his NBA career with 16 points and 11 assists off the bench.
The performance followed an outstanding NBA Cup title game outing against the San Antonio Spurs, where he had 14 points and five assists and closed the game out. Kolek’s opportunity was much larger on Thursday with New York resting a ton of key guys, and he took full advantage of it.
Kolek was performing well individually and helped elevate the play of his teammates as well. He was a +13 in his minutes, which was the highest out of any Knick. He is a +45 in his last three games (including the Cup championship).
Kolek is a much different player than last year
The big noticeable difference in his game is his confidence. Last season, he wasn’t as willing to put the ball in the basket, oftentimes resorting to being a playmaking facilitator to the offense.
Now, he is looking to score in his own ways as well as create for others. He took 10 shot attempts in the win over Indiana, including five three-point attempts, and he was efficient with seven made field goals and two three-pointers.
His growth is happening at a fast rate, and his play is getting the attention of his teammates. Jalen Brunson, who drilled the game-winning three-pointer against the Pacers, gave Kolek a ton of credit for allowing him to win the game for the Knicks.
“I want to thank the Lord for Tyler Kolek. Playing the way he’s playing, saving me…Dude’s always in the gym. Even on blackout days, I take pride in being the only one, and he’s right there,” Brunson said after the game (h/t New York Basketball on X).
Kolek will look to continue his great stretch on Friday when he and the Knicks take on the Philadelphia 76ers at home.