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Injuries can be a real drag on a team’s season, especially one with expectations as high as the Knicks’, but there’s a silver lining to them as well. Guys buried deep on the bench get an opportunity they may not otherwise receive, and teams can often be pleasantly surprised by what’s been hiding outside of their usual rotation.
We’re seeing such a case play out with Tyler Kolek, New York’s 34th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, who’s stepped up in the wake of injuries to OG Anunoby and Landry Shamet to help the Knicks to a nice stretch of wins. This comes after Kolek failed to meaningfully crack the early season rotation despite some leash during the preseason and the first few games of the regular season.
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Should this continue, it would make for a great turnaround for Kolek and huge development for management after not seeing real returns from any of their draft classes after 2021. But most importantly, Kolek’s emergence potentially gives the Knicks another weapon in their chase for a championship.
Kolek was a gifted scorer and creator at Marquette who fell deeper into the draft due to the inherent limitations in his age and athletic build. After some dealing around with their picks, the Knicks scooped him up, desperately needing some added ball-handling off their bench.
Offensively, he actually looked the part relatively early in Las Vegas, preseason and even some early-season NBA minutes in 2024-25. He was a clear-cut floor general who could run an offense, dribble-drive into opportunities and score when confidently looking to.
He didn’t get the chance to see sustained NBA minutes his rookie year though, spending a few games in Westchester but not displaying anything spectacular. After a head coaching change that emphasized experimentation and depth, pressure was on heading into Kolek’s second year.
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To make matters tougher, the Knicks brought in a host of veteran guards – Jordan Clarkson, Shamet, and Malcolm Brogdon – to compete with Kolek for reserve guard duties. Kolek held his own in the preseason despite seeing his name in trade rumors, but even with Brogdon…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/tyler-kolek-emergence-gives-knicks-180034927.html
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Publish date : 2025-12-02 18:00:00
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