Knicks are officially at a now-or-never crossroads with forgotten prospect

Between Landry Shamet dealing with a shoulder injury and the New York Knicks expected to prowl around the market for backup point guard, Tyler Kolek is officially entering a make-or-break stretch. Either he gets an opportunity to showcase he can have staying power for the team, or it’ll be painfully obvious how this all ends.

This risks coming across as overdramatic. It’s not. The question everyone involved needs to ask: If not now, then when?

Shamet is currently dealing with a right shoulder injury that could keep him out an extended period of time, if not cost him his roster spot. And the Knicks, according to SNY’s Ian Begley, are currently more likely to prioritize the acquisition of a backup point guard leading into the February 5 trade deadline than anything else. 

If Kolek cannot get minutes with New York already down a guard and actively looking for someone behind Jalen Brunson to organize the offense, we’ll have to accept that it’ll probably never come together for him on this team.

Opportunity may finally be knocking at Tyler Kolek’s door

If the initial fallout from Shamet’s injury is any indication, head coach Mike Brown plans to give Kolek more of a shot. The 24-year-old racked up 17 minutes in the Knicks’ (disastrously, concerningly, unforgivably) bad loss to the Orlando Magic. During the team’s Monday night victory over the Brooklyn Nets, he then picked up another 17 minutes, very few of which came in garbage time.

Kolek has impressed through mini stretches before. This most recent one is no different. He played stellar defense against the Nets, pestering rookie Drake Powell (who has been quietly good), and even drew a charge. 

New York’s sophomore also compiled five assists, and continues to prove his playmaking ability, particularly when coming out of ball screens:

Scoring continues to be Kolek’s swing development. After going 1-of-4 from downtown in Brooklyn, he is now 5-of-19 on threes for the season (26.3 percent). That isn’t going to cut it—especially when he has not proven very aggressive at this level in getting to his floater. 

The Knicks must commit to getting more information on Kolek

While it may be painful in the interim, the Knicks should make Kolek a point of emphasis in the coming games. Frankly, it shouldn’t be too hard.

The ideal version of Kolek fills a tangible need. You can already make the case that he’s the best passer on the team. And his college shooting slashes, including his 81.9 percent clip at the free-throw line, suggest he should be able to find a happier medium as a standstill shooter.

Granted, there is a chance that he doesn’t—that this relative dearth of scoring dynamism is permanent, and his ultimate undoing. But neither the Knicks nor he can know for sure unless he plays. 

That brings us back to the overarching question: If he’s not tasked with doing more now, when will he be? The answer, quite clearly, is never. Which automatically makes the weeks to come the biggest, most pressure-filled of Kolek’s young career.