Guerschon Yabusele officially signed with the Knicks for slightly less than the veteran minimum, according to a tweet from New York Post's Stefan Bondy. While it may not seem like a big deal at first glance, the agreement gives the Knicks enough wiggle room to now sign another player to a minimum deal. It also puts additional pressure on second-year guard Tyler Kolek to impress during Summer League and shore up a rotation spot.
The Knicks bench got a lot deeper with the additions of Yabusele and veteran guard Jordan Clarkson. The rest of the bench will be filled out with some combination of Josh Hart, Deuce McBride, Mitchell Robinson (depending on how Mike Brown chooses to start games), and potentially another veteran, while the young core of Kolek, Pacome Dadiet, and Ariel Hukporti also battle for playing time.
Summer league is just days away but the Knicks have yet to release who will be on the roster. That said, Kolek is a lock to be among the players heading to Vegas, and the Knicks' coaching staff will surely be keeping a close eye on how he performs. Summer league usually doesn't mean too much for rookies, that said, if second-year players struggle, it is typically a bad sign.
The is Kolek's time to shine
Last season, Kolek didn't get much of an opportunity to show what he could add. Tom Thibodeau famously doesn't play rookies, and Kolek ended the season with only 296 minutes played, most of them coming in garbage time.
However, Thibodeau is gone now. Kolek has a new coach to impress and a new environment to do it in. The other thing working in his favor is that Clarkson is a much different player than him. Clarkson is a true scorer, in every sense of the word. I am not sure if he has ever seen a shot he didn't like.
Kolek, on the other hand, is more of a traditional point guard. He is a very good passer and knows how to run an offense. His shot has a long way to go, having knocked down only 32.9 percent of his total field goal attempts last season.
If Kolek struggles, there are other veteran guards the Knicks could look to with their remaining cap space. Malcolm Brogdon, Caleb Houston, and De'Anthony Melton are among the guards remaining on the market who New York could look at if Kolek doesn't show signs of growth.