If you’ve been clamoring for the New York Knicks to play their young guys more, your wishes were partially granted during New York’s 122-103 victory over the Washington Wizards on Saturday.
Rookie Tyler Kolek logged 18 minutes, the most of his young career, and made the most of the opportunity.
With already-impromptu starter Deuce McBride being a late scratch from the game due to a groin contusion, the Knicks’ point guard pecking order was the most depleted it’s been all season.
By default, coach Tom Thibodeau was forced to dig deeper into his rotation. Cam Payne was named the starter ahead of the game, freeing up the bulk of the backup point guard minutes for Tyler Kolek.
Kolek, 23, was drafted by the Knicks with the 34th pick (via Portland) of the 2024 NBA Draft. Despite a successful four-year college career, he’s struggled to break into New York’s rotation during his first season and played in just 33 NBA games prior to his appearance against Washington.
Instead, he’s spent most of his time as a professional basketball player with the Knicks’ developmental affiliate in Westchester, where he’s averaged 18.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 8.9 assists in 33.3 minutes across 8 games and was named MVP of the 2024 G League Winter Showcase.
In his biggest allotment of NBA minutes to date, Kolek hit the ground running in Washington immediately after subbing in for Cam Payne to start the second quarter.
He notched three steals and dished out a career-high seven assists, helping the Knicks take a commanding 25-point lead heading into the half, 66-41.
He played only a few more minutes in the second frame, but Kolek’s impression had already been made on both the game and Tom Thibodeau.
In his postgame interview, the Knicks’ head coach told reporters he was “very pleased” with Kolek’s play.
Kolek finished the game with 4 points, 1 rebound, 8 assists, and 0 turnovers in 18 minutes of play.
The biggest benefactor of Kolek’s playmaking was Mikal Bridges (27 points), who hit three of his four shots from beyond the arc coming off a pass from the rookie. In total, Kolek’s assists generated 21 of the Knicks’ points in a 19-point victory.
Reports following the game confirmed that Miles McBride is set to miss multiple outings due to his groin injury, which should more than likely lead to an influx of minutes for Tyler Kolek in the immediate future.
