A blowout win over the Chicago Bulls yielded major roster implications for the New York Knicks.

So says head coach Mike Brown, who’s going to reward Tyler Kolek with backup point guard duties moving forward:

“Nobody’s minutes are set in stone,” Brown told reporters postgame on November 4. “Jose had the first opportunity in our last game. And then I gave Tyler an opportunity in the second half and Tyler played well. So I’m gonna go with Tyler. And if I think I need to make a change because Tyler’s not getting it done in my eyes, then I’ll go back to Jose.”

This isn’t insignificant.

Prior to Jose Alvarado’s first game back from injury on November 2, Brown was clear that he wouldn’t lose his role as backup point guard:

“I try not to take a guy out [of the rotation] due to injury,” New York’s coach told reporters. “The reality of it is that Jose got hurt. Tyler gave us some good minutes. I sat em’ both down. I said Jose, you’re our backup because you ended the season as our backup. Both of you guys helped us win last year, Jose in The Finals, Tyler in the Cup Finals. Both of you guys gotta be ready, a change can happen at any time.”

It lasted all of two games.

But for good reason.

Kolek is a table setter

Five games is all it took for Kolek to flash the playmaking New York’s missing off the bench. He’s up to 31 assists on the season with only two turnovers.

According to Fadeaway, the Knicks are scoring 122.2 points per 100 possessions with the third-year guard on the floor. And the defensive concerns are fading.

New York is holding opponents to 107.7 points per, in a trend that’s pointed up.

According to NBA.com, Kolek leads the NBA in total assists, maximum 100 minutes played. He’s a conduit for good buckets, with just an 11.4% usage rate.

For a Knicks team that’s offensive struggles this season are well chronicled, Kolek is the kind of playmaker who can raise the floor out of it’s murky depths.

New York, even after putting up 135 points on the Bulls, is still in the bottom-third of the league in points per game. After finishing last season 10th in offensive rating, the Knicks are 22nd as of November 5.

Alvarado isn’t the same caliber of playmaker, prone to constantly searching for the home run swing. Kolek’s passes are guaranteed base hits.

And the Knicks, in the early stages of this season, aren’t looking for home runs. This team needs to build good habits, which require the kind of reps that Kolek looks to have already mastered.

Alvarado will get another opportunity this season. This isn’t his first benching under Brown. He entered last postseason on the outside of the rotation looking in.

You know what happened next.

Mike Brown has never met a rotation he wouldn’t tinker with, even in the aftermath of winning a championship.

He’s still evolving as a coach, as Tyler Kolek is still maturing as a point guard.

The two will look to continue rewarding each other on Saturday, when the Knicks play visitor to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 pm EST.