ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania broke news Wednesday afternoon that New York Knicks point guard Malcolm Brogdon has decided to retire from the game of basketball.
His addition to the rotation this offseason was seen as a significant improvement over Cameron Payne for their back-up point guard position, as well as a major boon for their second-unit offensive firepower, as their bench ranked dead-last in offensive rating just last season.
Now, with his departure, a glaring hole has opened up behind star Jalen Brunson on the depth chart that desperately needs filling.
By the way things currently look, Tyler Kolek seems to be the obvious choice to step into the role.
The only question is, can he deliver?
Tyler Kolek likely to be thrust in as primary backup point guard for Knicks
Kolek may have flown under the radar during his rookie season from a nation-wide recognition standpoint, but Knicks fans were pleasantly surprised by the Marquette product's production.
While his per-game averages of 2.0 points and 1.7 assists won't blow anyone away, it's what he was capable of doing when given extended run on the hardwood that truly makes Kolek an intriguing second-year prospect.
Though far from a microwave scorer, on a team with guys like Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, Mikal Bridges, and Jordan Clarkson, he doesn't have to be.
In fact, a natural floor general and set-up artist would be far more preferred. Fortunately, that's exactly what Kolek can be for this team.
Though he may have seen double-digit minutes on just 13 occasions last year, in such games, he found himself dishing out 4.4 dimes on average while committing less than a single turnover a night.
On top of this, during a seven-game stretch from March 22 to April 2, while the Knicks were dealing with nagging injuries, Kolek found himself ranking third on the team in net rating out of those who saw more than 10 minutes a night and averaged 6.2 assists per game.
Now, while this is certainly too small a sample size to confidently bank on him one day becoming a regular rotation player in the association, it's important to note that the 24-year-old has been on an absolute tear throughout this year's preseason, most recently during New York's matchup against the Wizards, where he finished the night with 20 points, 4 rebounds, and 6 assists.
Even before Wednesday's news break, conversations had already started to arise over whether Kolek should be prioritized in the rotation over Brogdon.
Now, with the veteran calling it quits on his playing career and with just a week to go until the regular season's opener, it appears the Knicks don't have any other option but to lean into the sophomore as Brunson's direct understudy.