Knicks rookie point guard Tyler Kolek's court savvy belies his inexperience
New York Knicks guard Tyler Kolek against the Washington Wizards in a preseason basketball game at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Even with more collegiate experience than the average rookie, Tyler Kolek knows what he doesn’t know about the NBA game and where he is starting on the learning curve. So when the Knicks’ first-year point guard was asked about the adjustment, he pointed to the help he is getting from the veterans.
“Yeah, all the older guys I’ve been around,” he started to say in the postgame locker room Wednesday night. Cam Payne heard that a few lockers away and shouted, “Chill, chill, chill.”
Kolek quickly amended his description from “older guys” to “veterans,” another lesson learned.
Kolek has a long way to go to find his way into the rotation. Jalen Brunson occupies the lead role at point guard and there are an assortment of options behind him in Payne and Deuce McBride before Tom Thibodeau will trust a rookie.
But there is something trustworthy in his game, a pure point guard mind that belies his limited pro experience through summer league and a week of training camp. In two preseason games, he has averaged 13.0 points, connecting on 9 of 15 shots. On Wednesday, with McBride out of action because of illness, he played 17 minutes, putting up 15 points and five assists.
“All the vets, just leaning on them, they’ve been there before,” Kolek said. “They know how this works. I’m kind of coming into this blind. Three years in college, each year I knew what to expect. Coming into this league, I don’t really know what to expect, so just really leaning on those guys, leaning on my teammates to guide me through.
“I mean, everybody goes through it. High school I did it, college [he was drafted out of Marquette], I did it. Now I’ve got to do it all over again. So kind of just start your building blocks. You tore down that house. College is over with. Now I’m trying to build another house. So starting with my building blocks, getting that foundation and then building up from there.”
Thibodeau pretty much ignored questions about Kolek in training camp but praised him after Wednesday’s performance against the Wizards. The Madison Square Garden crowd did, too, cheering wildly as he went through one stretch completing a fast break, driving and slipping a pass to fellow rookie Ariel Hukporti for a dunk and then connecting on a mid-range jumper — all of which seemed to back up Kolek’s contention in summer league that the usual comparisons for him are lazy and Brunson is who he would name as an influence.
“He plays at his own pace,” Brunson said. “He’s never sped up and he tries to make the right decision every single time. And he’s efficient, too. I remember seeing that quote and I mean, he’s one of a kind. He can compare himself to whoever he wants to, but he’s one of a kind.”
One thing that Kolek will learn is that Thibodeau will play rookies if they earn his trust.
Although he has performed well in both preseason games, he said he’s struggled at times in practice with turnovers.
“He’s really sharp,” Kolek said of Thibodeau. “Everything we do in practice, he’s on us. He wants to win. The team embodies that, the whole mindset. We all want to win. So if we’ve got to go harder, sharper, we kind of follow his lead.
“I’m trying to find that balance between scoring and passing. Maybe in practice I haven’t been as aggressive looking at the basket. So I’ve been really intentional in games to get those looks because it opens up everything else, my passing and all that.”
During his time in New York, Derrick Rose would give rookies a simple bit of advice: When you make a mistake, don’t look over at Thibodeau.
“My freshman year in college, my coach would do the same thing,” Kolek said. “I actually stepped out of bounds today and he just gives you that look. Obviously, it’s my fault. Looking at him, I know I’ve got to be better.”
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.
