Tyler Kolek looking to add skill that should lead to even bigger Knicks role

Tyler Kolek has already ingratiated himself with the faithful followers of this New York Knicks team thanks to his hustle, energy, and contagious personality.

Now, heading into year three with the defending champions, he's clearly looking to become more than just a fan favorite.

With trusty set-up skills and off-ball shooting abilities already established within his on-court repertoire, it seems Kolek is working on his craft as a self-creating scoring weapon this summer.

Recently, clips of the point guard's offseason drills have begun to circulate, with the vast majority of the footage showing him buying buckets off the dribble.

Coming into the pros back in 2023, Kolek was regularly described as more of a pure floor general looking to pass first who, when shooting, is more comfortable in catch-and-shoot situations rather than in isolation.

This past season only further emphasized such a descriptor, as roughly 30.0 percent of his total shot attempts came off the catch while he boasted an impressive assist percentage of 31.7.

Adding a self-creation component to his game should only make it that much harder for coach Mike Brown not to continue the trend of upping Kolek's on-court presence year after year.

Tyler Kolek may see Knicks role get bigger if trade rumblings are true

Should he add an isolation element to his game, Kolek should automatically be in line for more utilization within the Knicks' rotation come 2026-27.

However, if the recent rumblings of expected in-season trades come true, that should only make his minutes distribution increase even more.

As New York continues to battle against the NBA CBA and, more specifically, the dreaded second apron, questions regarding the future of several key players have started to pop up.

One name, in particular, who has drawn attention as of late is Miles McBride, who, though he has established himself as a tremendous and, in many ways, underrated role player on this team, is heading into the final year of his current deal with the Knicks and could realistically price himself out of the Big Apple with another big year.

With this in mind, it may be in the best interest of the Knicks to consider selling high on him ahead of the February trade deadline rather than risk losing him for nothing come next summer's free agency period.

Fortunately, the consensus belief is that dangling a player like McBride could net New York a solid return, as the New York Post's Bryan Fonseca recently went as far as to brand the guard as the "best trade chip" on the club's bench.

Should Deuce be moved at some point in the next seven months, expect Kolek to eat up some of his vacated minutes as a result.

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