For so long, it has looked like the New York Knicks made the wrong decision with the No. 34 pick of the 2024 NBA draft. Acquired from the Portland Trail Blazers, it was used on Tyler Kolek, instead of Ajay Mitchell, who has since turned into a key piece for the reigning champion Oklahoma City Thunder.
Gradually, surely, the Knicks are moving on from this mistake—not because time makes it easier to digest, but because the jury is still out on whether it’s a mistake at all.
Tyler Kolek is justifying the Knicks’ investment in him
Jalen Brunson has already said neither he nor the rest of the team is surprised by Kolek’s recent surge. They are all in the minority.
It wasn’t long ago that the 24-year-old seemed like an inevitable trade candidate. Even as he re-entered the rotation in recent weeks, the Knicks’ rumor mill has remained chock full of backup-guard chatter. If you poll people in the organization using truth serum, many may admit that they’d still prefer to have Mitchell (38th overall), Jaylen Wells (No. 39), or even Cam Spencer (No. 53).
No matter where you land in the debate and its outlook, Kolek is giving both sides of the aisle something to think about.
Coming off a career-high 16 points and 11 assists in a post-NBA-Cup win against the Indiana Pacers, the sophomore floor general is averaging over 14 points and eights assists per 36 minutes through his last 12 games. He's also downing 64.5 percent of his twos, and 36.4 percent of his threes.
Equally important, the offense has hummed with Kolek in the game. He was always the team’s most talented passer. Now, he’s channeling that, along with some newfound fluidity and confidence, into standout returns both when he’s playing with Brunson, and without him.
The Knicks’ Tyler Kolek regret is quickly fading
A weeks-long stretch does not inoculate the Knicks’ selection of Kolek over Mitchell, and others. Mitchell remains one of the favorites to win Sixth Man of the Year, and more critically, has contributed to OKC’s product consistently enough to be deemed a certainty.
Kolek isn’t in the same boat. Yet.
That he’s giving the Knicks a path to justify his selection is all that matters for now. More information will determine the ultimate outcome. Kolek’s next hurdle entails sticking inside the notation once Deuce McBride returns from an ankle injury.
Beyond that, Kolek’s blueprint for absolution is clear. Ajay Mitchell and Jaylen Wells will always have him beat on the defensive end. But neither has his potential bandwidth to run an entire offense with their passing and live-dribble decision-making. Mitchell comes closest, and just doesn’t have the same raw feel as Kolek.
This debate will rage on. The Knicks should be grateful for it. They appeared to have at one point lost it altogether. Kolek is not only keeping it alive, but still yet capable of winning it.