A Knicks rookie turns heads with stellar preseason performance

It is looking increasingly likely that rookie Tyler Kolek will force his way into the New York Knicks rotation. Considering that they sacrificed depth to dramatically improve their top-level talent, that would be huge for the Knicks.

In the lead-up to the 2024 NBA Draft, most mock drafts saw Kolek as a first-round pick, despite his 34th overall selection. After an impressive showing in the Summer League and in the first two games of the NBA preseason, Kolek appears to be ready to contribute for the Knicks this season.

While he played point guard last season for Marquette, he was an above-average shooter, hitting 38.8% of his threes. That should allow him to play off-ball for the Knicks, meaning that he can play both point guard and shooting guard, giving New York more depth at both positions.

Can Tyler Kolek make an impact on the new-look New York Knicks?

Star guards Jalen Brunson and Mikal Bridges will start point guard and shooting guard and knowing Coach Tom Thibodeau, they will probably play big minutes this season. That would probably limit the amount of available minutes at backup guard to fewer than 30 minutes per game.

However, with the Knicks likely to play small, there is the possibility that Bridges will scale up and spend time as a shooting guard. Not to mention that players such as OG Anunoby tend to miss around 15 games a season so there will be opportunities for Kolek to show and prove.

Also, with Brunson now the team's clear number-one option, having depth in case he gets injured is especially important. As a result, having Kolek, Deuce McBride, and Cam Payne makes the Knicks deep at guard.

What Tyler Kolek brings to the New York Knicks.

New York was smart to select a proven player with plenty of college experience in the second round. That increased the chances of them finding a player that was ready to contribute and he has proven that he can.

Through two preseason games, Kolek has the second-highest PER of any player in the NBA. That doesn't mean that he will be a star or even a draft steal but it shows that he is already comfortable transitioning from college to the pros.

He has been assertive and confident and in addition to being a terrific passer, he can effectively create for himself. Ultimately, whether he plays with or without the ball, it appears increasingly likely that Knicks rookie Tyler Kolek will be a rotation player this season no matter what.