The New York Knicks have been struggling mightily with turnovers recently. That led to an opportunity for second-year guard Tyler Kolek, who was removed from the team's rotation weeks ago as they gained their health – and also a new player, in Jose Alvarado.
On the second night of a back-to-back, they committed 19 turnovers. The Los Angeles Clippers converted those into 24 total points off of turnovers, leading head coach Mike Brown to throw Tyler Kolek back into the mix for a quick two-minute stint.
As soon as he entered the game, he set up Karl-Anthony Towns for an old-fashioned 3-point play, giving him his lone assist of the night. If point guard Jose Alvarado's shooting struggles continue, like they did in the 0-4 performance against the Clippers, Kolek could have a legitimate path to some more regular season minutes.
Kolek offers stability on nights where Knicks guards don't have it
The 24-year-old table-setter played for Brown on opening night, eventually falling out of the rotation but making impactful appearances in several big games. Whether it was the NBA Cup, Christmas Day, or a big home game against the Lakers – Kolek was knocking down momentum-swinging shots and dishing out slick passes to open teammates.
With Alvarado struggling in recent games, failing to score against either Los Angeles team, and making just two of seven shots against the Thunder and Nuggets before that, Brown turned to his big-game contributor in Kolek.
While this doesn't assure any sort of playoff role for the NBA sophomore, it does give fans some sort of an idea as to where he stands with Brown and the rest of the coaching staff.
Could Knicks turn to Kolek in the playoffs?
The possibility remains that the team does lean on Kolek in high-leverage postseason minutes. But if Alvarado's struggles continue into the postseason, it feels more likely that Brown would shorten his rotation than fully bring Kolek back into the mix.
It would be fair to say that the Knicks acquired Alvarado in part because they didn't yet trust Kolek with the ball handling responsibility that he carried in each game. Alvarado himself struggling is a problem for the team's overall ball handling and speed, the latter of which Brown recently called "irreplaceable."
When the Brooklynite is having a rough go of it, it's ultimately best for the Knicks that they work to get him back on track. But in tough situations like Monday night against the Clippers, it's good to know that Kolek is right there, too.