LAS VEGAS — The 2024 NBA Draft was a busy time for the New York Knicks. As team president Leon Rose and the Knicks' front office prepared for the first round of the draft, several players stood out to them with their back-to-back picks at 24th and 25th overall. One of these players was Marquette point guard Tyler Kolek, who ultimately slipped to the second round of the draft. When Kolek was still on the board early on in the second round, the Knicks made a no-brainer decision to move up and grab who they believed was the best pure point guard in this draft class. Now, Kolek is proving his worth on the court during NBA Summer League.
New York played their third game at Thomas and Mack Center and Cox Pavilion on Wednesday, which turned into an unexpected battle with the Sacramento Kings. After leading by as many as 10 points late in the fourth quarter, the Knicks saw their lead cut down by a relentless Kings team that was leaning on Keon Ellis, who has become a favorite of head coach Mike Brown in Sacramento. Even with things looking bleak for the Knicks and their lead evaporating in the heat of the desert, it was Kolek who put the team on his back yet again.
Between his rebounding and passing abilities, Kolek kept the Knicks one step ahead of the Kings up until the very end of the game. It was then where the rookie point guard claimed victory for the Knicks with an and-one layup while falling to his left. New York picked up their first win in Las Vegas in what was the third great game Kolek has played.
“I've played in a lot of games. I've been in a lot of moments like that,” Kolek told ClutchPoints on Wednesday. “All of the work I have put in has gotten me to this point. Like I said, I've been in a lot of games in college. I'm not some first-year rookie that just comes in playing 10, 12, or 15 games in college. I've played a lot of minutes and I am comfortable in moments like these when my team needs me.”
While it may be a small sample size, Kolek has now averaged 11.3 points, 7.3 assists, and 4.3 rebounds over the course of the Knicks' three Summer League games. He has shot 39.3 percent and 33.3 percent from three-point range in Las Vegas.
What Kolek was able to achieve on Wednesday against the Kings clearly proved his worth as it relates to possibly assuming the No. 2 point guard role on the team behind Jalen Brunson for the 2024-25 NBA season. The rookie guard finished with 21 points and eight assists against Sacramento, scoring the final three points of the game to give his team the win.
Even with all of the success Kolek has found to this point during this summer's showcase, he is still solely focused on the aspects of his game he must improve in ahead of training camp in September.
“I had four turnovers… That stands out to me,” Kolek admitted. “I was really mad when I turned the ball over in the first quarter because that was my first turnover in Summer League! I am definitely upset at myself for not only turning it over once, but four total times. I need to clean that up, and I know I will be able to make the proper adjustments to do so.”
Tyler Kolek's value to Knicks
One of the biggest reasons the Knicks had Tyler Kolek high on their draft board this offseason was due to the fact that Jalen Brunson had been the team's only true point guard during the 2023-24 season. Despite contributions from Miles “Deuce” McBride, New York utilized the former West Virginia guard as a combo guard who thrived in catch-and-shoot situations late in the year. A player like Kolek, who brings immediate playmaking and passing qualities to the table, provides much-needed depth behind Brunson in New York.
Wins and losses don't matter in Las Vegas. Although many of the players are focused on winning and attempting to get their team to the Summer League championship game, Kolek is focused on lifting his team up and adjusting to the style of play that the Knicks will utilize him in during the 2024-25 season.
“You come into Summer League and you play four or five games with these guys. You get three, four, maybe five practices. It can be tough sometimes to build that chemistry with the team,” Kolek explained. “A lot of times, if I see something, I do my best to correct my teammates on the fly. That's on me because I have to make sure the team is in order. I can't be turning the ball over.”
As critical as he has been on himself, Kolek has been among the best in Las Vegas thus far. The Knicks rookie has been one of the best when it comes to dishing out assists, and his low turnover rate has impressed many in attendance. Although there is always a learning curve for any first-year player, Kolek's experience at the collegiate level and leading the Big East in assists this past year sets him up for the ability to make an instant impact as a key bench talent in New York.
“I know I can always keep getting better. This game, I wanted to focus on just being more aggressive and asserting myself a little bit more offensively as a scorer. The first couple of games, I was just, ‘pass, pass, pass, pass.' That is good to some extent, but at some point, you have to turn the meter and keep the defense honest. That's what I was doing against the Kings.”
Kolek has now recorded three straight games with at least seven assists, and Wednesday marked his first time being the Knicks' featured scorer at Summer League. With an assist-to-turnover ratio of 5.5 to one, Kolek is proving to be arguably the best second-round selection from the 2024 NBA Draft.
He may be a rookie, but Kolek is showing why many penciled him in as the most NBA-ready point guard from this year's draft class.
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