Tyler Kolek has seemingly locked down a spot in the New York Knicks’ everyday rotation. In reality, though, he has one more test to pass: proving that he can play extensive minutes alongside Jalen Brunson.
This part of the backup-point-guard job description too often falls by the wayside. Yes, the Knicks need someone who can captain the offense when Brunson catches a breather. Kolek is beginning to check that box, particularly when he’s playing beside Karl-Anthony Towns. But Brunson averages a touch over 35 minutes per game. His primary backup has to be fit for joint-guard duty, otherwise they’ll be limited to somewhere between 10 and 13 minutes each night.
New York has been reluctant to lean on the Kolek-Brunson backcourt until recently. Injuries to Deuce McBride and Landry Shamet, along with the up-and-down play of Jordan Clarkson, have demanded experimental measures.
Yet, despite the success Brunson and Kolek had together during the NBA Cup championship game, the jury is very much still out on whether they’re a tandem that can survive, let alone thrive, when used in larger doses.
The Knicks’ minutes with Tyler Kolek and Jalen Brunson have not been great overall
Brunson and Kolek have shared the floor together for 44 minutes this season. During that time, the Knicks have been outscored by 26 points, while posting an offensive rating (110.2) that would rank in the bottom five, and a defensive rating (129.5) that would be the league’s worst.
This does not account for the 13.5 minutes they played together in the NBA Cup Final against the San Antonio Spurs. That game doesn’t count toward their season-long tallies. Even so, New York was a plus-18 during the Brunson-Kolek stints, according to Pivot Fade.
That singular performance lends itself to hope. The same goes for more recent outings. Over half of the Brunson-Kolek minutes have come in the past week. While the offense has not been at its most efficient, the defense has held up exceedingly well, and the Knicks are a plus-13.5 points per 100 possessions through this mini-stretch.
This is encouraging—and somewhat surprising. Having two small guards in the backcourts feels risky on the defensive end when one of them isn’t Deuce. But the Knicks have the perfect antidote in both OG Anunoby and Mitchell Robinson. Those two can insulate pretty much any backcourt tandem. Plus, it helps that Kolek puts up waaaay more defensive resistance than someone like Clarkson.
New York needs more information on the Brunson-Kolek pairing
Head coach Mike Brown should keep turning to Brunson-Kolek minutes. If they do not pan out, well, that’s sort of the point. The Knicks will at least know, and can map out their next moves accordingly.
Truth be told, a lion’s share of the adjustment may need to be shouldered by Brunson. He is spending more time away from the ball overall this season, but Kolek remains most dangerous when he’s able to break down defenses with his live dribble, and spray out to shooters or find bigs in the pocket.
Displacing Brunson from the ball isn’t an issue, per se. The spacing in lineups that see him, Kolek, Robinson, and Josh Hart together are a different story. Brunson is currently shooting just 38.1 percent inside the arc (8-of-21) when he plays with Kolek. New York can open up more of the floor with different personnel, but it’ll come at the expense of the defense.
This is the dilemma at hand. And rest assured, it’s a good one to have. Kolek has gone from a likely draft-day strikeout to a potential rotation mainstay.
Having already shown his skill set can translate, there’s only one thing left for him to prove: that he’s an effective fit alongside the Knicks’ most important player.