Tyler Kolek has broken out for the New York Knicks, coming up big in the biggest moments. The second-year guard shined in both the NBA Cup Final and the team's Christmas Day win against the Cleveland Cavaliers. On Sunday against the Portland Trail Blazers, though, Mike Brown had both Josh Hart and Deuce McBride available for the first time in weeks. As a result, Kolek didn't play at all. Even though he established himself as an NBA-level guard, Kolek might be momentarily buried in New York's rotation unless something changes.
Hart, McBride's returns bump Kolek back to third-string
The Knicks got an important win on Sunday night in advance of having two full days of rest. Brown essentially played an eight-man rotation, with the ninth Knick to see the floor against the Blazers being rookie Mo Diawara (who logged just three minutes of playing time). Kolek was not one of those players.
With both Hart and McBride back in action, it makes sense that the Knicks' coach would look to include a lengthier defender like Diawara or Kevin McCullar Jr. in the rotation. Even if Diawara had played more of a role, that would have left Kolek as the proverbial odd man out.
While that certainly doesn't close the book on him contributing to this Knicks team, it does provide a bit of clarity with regard to just how important Brown thinks his skillset is when his roster is at full strength.
Kolek's growth is encouraging for contending Knicks
Kolek appeared in just 41 games as a rookie, only delivering 2.0 points and 1.7 assists in 7.2 minutes per game throughout them. In his second season, he's taken on a real role on this Knicks team. After starting the season seemingly in the rotation, he took a step back for several weeks until injuries unfortunately necessitated his return to the lineup.
Through 34 appearances this season, Kolek is giving the Knicks averages of 5.1 points and 2.8 assists per game in 13.4 minutes. He's made just one-third of his 3-point attempts, but that's improvement from last season's mark of 29.8% for the year.
It's exciting for any team to seemingly hit on a second-round draft pick. For the contending Knicks, who sent a decade's worth of draft control to the Brooklyn Nets, it's especially invigorating for fans to see them hit on the risky trade-up manuever they pulled in the 2024 NBA Draft to land Kolek with the 34th overall pick.
Given Kolek's team-friendly contract and propensity to come up huge when the Knicks need him most, it would make sense to continue to develop him – even if regular playing time won't be there over the next stretch of the season.