Jalen Brunson is day-to-day with a right ankle injury, a silver lining in the sense that he and the New York Knicks avoided the worst-case scenario, but a bummer for an offense that, despite the name recognition on the roster, doesn’t have anything close to a suitable second star. However much time he ends up missing will be illuminating for the entire team.
It may also be Tyler Kolek’s last chance to lock down the Knicks’ backup point guard minutes once and for all.
For a while, it looked like the 24-year-old’s coming-out party would go on forever, removing any and all inclination New York had to acquire another ball-handler to spell (and partner with) Brunson. That revelation proved to be premature.
Kolek’s role is more all over the place following the return of Deuce McBride, and could be subject to even starker degrees of inconsistency with Landry Shamet on the verge of coming back.
If that isn’t enough evidence of the Knicks’ enduring Kolek skepticism, the complexion of their rumor mill. According to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, they “seem most interested in adding another ball-handler who can defend.” That doesn’t bode well for Kolek—who, in theory, is another ball-handler who can defend.
This is the clearest sign yet New York doesn’t fully trust him. Brunson’s absence, however long it lasts, is a chance for him to earn the benefit of the doubt.
The Knicks are about to get more information about Tyler Kolek
Spending more time with the starters, even if he’s still coming off the bench, will be a test of his ability to run an offense against higher-end competition independent of another primary ball-handler. We have yet to see it for an extended stretch. Over 70 percent of Kolek’s minutes have come alongside Brunson, or Jordan Clarkson.
Delivering standout performances as the sole conventional initiator, with all due respect to Josh Hart, could go a long way. The Knicks have an offensive rating of 114.8 when Kolek plays with only one of Brunson or Clarkson. That’s the rough equivalent of a bottom-10 attack.
Granted, there’s a lot of noise in those lineups. New York has needed to navigate absences from, most notably, Hart and Deuce McBride. The Kolek-Deuce minutes without JB, in particular, are worth further exploration. Those units are scoring at the rate of what would be the league’s best offense, averaging nearly 125.5 points per 100 possessions.
The Knicks have also witnessed some tantalizing Kolek solo stints next to Karl-Anthony Towns. If he can be the electrical current that powers KAT’s ebbing offensive motor, that might be his most effective path to shutting down New York’s search for another ball-handler.
New York should approach Jalen Brunson’s injury with an open mind
Most would agree that a day-to-day injury for Brunson won’t be clarifying enough for the Knicks to reinvent their trade-deadline approach. Perhaps it should be.
Developing cost-controlled youth is critical to maximizing and lengthening any title window. Right now, New York does not have the profile of a true contender. There are a multitude of reasons why. Among the most damning is that the roster has so many prospective holes.
Landing another ball-handler doesn’t fix everything. The Knicks would still have to grapple with a big-man rotation that’s shallower and less consistent than expected. Their wing depth outside the starting lineup is virtually nonexistent. They could use another sharpshooter if Shamet isn’t ready to rock upon return.
Kolek checking the “ball-handler who can also defend” box would allow New York to focus its trade-deadline efforts elsewhere. This doesn’t mean the front office should trick itself into believing he’s the answer. But it should absolutely view this stretch without Brunson, however long it lasts, as a tryout.
And Kolek, in turn, should approach this opportunity with the utmost urgency. Because in all likelihood, this could be his last chance to prevent the Knicks from finding his replacement.