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All good streaks are supposed to come to an end. In Friday’s 98-93 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers, Knicks guard Tyler Kolek‘s stretch of perfection ended.
In the game’s early stages, he turned the ball over for the first time this season. Kolek coughed up the rock one more time, finishing with four assists and two points in 13 minutes.
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It was a departure from Kolek’s first three appearances this season, in which he recorded 21 assists and zero turnovers over 44 minutes.
The reserve is playing some of his best basketball right now, steadying the offense when Knicks star Jalen Brunson rests.
Kolek is taking advantage of an opportunity given to him because of an ankle injury to guard Jose Alvarado.
Kolek entered this season on the outside of New York’s regular rotation. But his play has been impressive and could make Knicks coach Mike Brown think twice about taking him out of the rotation when Alvarado returns.
In Kolek’s 57 minutes this season, the Knicks are assisting on 76.5 percent of their baskets, according to NBA Stats, a team high and one that would rank first in the entire league. The club’s assist rate drops to 66.3 percent in the minutes he sits.
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Kolek’s careful playmaking comes at a time when the Knicks are in need of good decision making.
As of Saturday night, New York ranked 15th in turnovers per 100 possessions.
Over the past few years, the Knicks have regularly been one of the better teams at taking care of the ball, ranking 11th in the category last season.
The turnover problems have been a factor in New York’s slow offensive start and 2-4 record through the first six games.
Kolek has created scoring opportunities for his teammates with ease. Many of Kolek’s minutes have been shared with starters Karl-Anthony Towns and OG Anunoby.
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Towns is averaging 5.81 more points per 100 possessions when he shares the floor with Kolek, according to PBP Stats.
Anunoby’s scoring increases by 9.85 points per 100 possessions in the same scenarios.
Since being drafted in the second round of the 2024 NBA Draft, Kolek’s role has been inconsistent with New York.
Last season, due to a Miles…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/tyler-koleks-strong-start-gives-150500116.html
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Publish date : 2026-11-01 15:05:00
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