Knicks rookie Tyler Kolek quickly learning to control the floor in Summer League
Tyler Kolek of the Marquette Golden Eagles looks on against the North Carolina State Wolfpack during the second half in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament at American Airlines Center on March 29 in Dallas. Credit: Getty Images/Carmen Mandato
When the game was over Wednesday afternoon, Tyler Kolek could have pointed to his game-winning three-point play with 2.4 seconds left or the go-ahead bucket just 12 seconds earlier that he calmly drained. He could have focused on the 21 points and eight assists he put up in a 106-105 Knicks' win over the Kings, his best performance of the Las Vegas Summer League.
But for Kolek, the number that stood out, the part of the game that was gnawing at him, was the turnovers. He had not had one in the first two games but, on this day, he turned it over four times — including one on the first play of the game.
"That stands out to me,” Kolek said. “I was flipping it a little bit. The first play of the game I turned it over and I was, 'man that was my first turnover of the summer league.' I was upset at myself, so I’ve got to clean that stuff up.”
As a rookie second-round pick there are no assurances of what Kolek will mean for the Knicks this season or what role he can play. But the focus on moving the ball — his 7.3 assists through the first three games rank him third in the Las Vegas Summer League — and protecting it certainly fits in line with the Knicks' needs.
The team sought to solidify the second unit last season with a point guard who could keep the team organized when Jalen Brunson sat. Alec Burks was obtained in a trade but, while providing scoring in the second unit, he was not the facilitator they needed. He departed as a free agent, signing with Miami, and setting the Knicks on another search for a backup to Brunson.
The Knicks signed Cam Payne this week, giving them a point guard with 47 games of playoff experience in the last four years — including serving as a thorn in the Knicks' side in the opening round of the Eastern Conference playoffs just months ago.
Kolek, projected by many as a first-round pick, was still on the board when the Knicks grabbed him in the second, and he certainly fits the description. At 23 years old and with four years of college behind him, he is experienced - and maybe more than anything, confident.
That was reflected in the final moments Wednesday when he scored with 14 seconds left off a scramble to give the Knicks the lead, hit a three-point field goal that put them down two, and took the ball to the rim, converting a tough drive and drawing a foul for the decisive three-point play.
“I’ve played a lot of games,” Kolek said. “I’ve been in a lot of moments like that. It’s just being poised, being under control.
“I wouldn’t say surprised,” he added when asked about how quickly he has seemed comfortable in the NBA game. “All the work that I’ve 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’s just come in playing 10, 12, 15 games in college, maybe only averaged 20 minutes a game. I’ve played a lot of games and I’m really comfortable on the basketball court.”
“He’s got a great floor game,” said Dice Yoshimoto, the Knicks' summer league coach. “Very unselfish, tough-minded. He’s a great competitor. That’s what we like about him. He makes winning plays.”
But the zero turnovers over the first two games might have been the most interesting part of his performance. He was making his debut with the group and finding a way to control the action with players he’d met just days before.
“It's tough. You come into Summer League, you got four or five games with these guys,” Kolek said. “You get three or five practices. It’s tough to build the chemistry with the team. Obviously, the guys in college I played with them for three years. They know exactly where to be, when I'm going to throw it, where I'm going to throw it. A lot of times if I see something, somebody doesn't. But that's still on me though. I got to make sure the team is in order and I can't be turning the ball over.”
He did have one piece of that familiar comfort, playing alongside former Marquette teammate, Justin Lewis, at times — including feeding him for a three-point field goal. He noted, “It was the same thing we always used to do. I said to him, ‘Just like old times.’”
But for the most part, it’s fellow rookies, G Leaguers and players that he’s trying to remember names of as he tries to stabilize the offense — for the team and for himself.
“I think I could always keep getting better,” Kolek said after Wednesday's win. “This game I wanted to focus on being aggressive. The last two games, it was just pass-pass-pass-pass. That's good to some extent. But, at some point, you have to turn the tide. You have to be aggressive, keep the defense honest, and today I was doing that.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
