Knicks' Tyler Kolek breaks out in Summer League with his play and swagger
LAS VEGAS — It was late in the first quarter Tuesday and Tyler Kolek already was feeling it — and talking about it.
He was orchestrating the Knicks' offense and letting the critics on the Nets bench know it. He then jumped the passing lane, swiped a pass and headed downcourt on a fast break with Brooklyn’s TJ Bamba chasing him. As Bamba leaped, Kolek stopped on a dime, hanging in place with his right foot still planted as Bamba soared past him. He dropped in the layup and as he turned up court he pointed over his shoulder at Bamba.
That was the Kolek that the Knicks saw in college. But not in the first two Summer League games and really not even during his brief appearances in his rookie season.
“First play of the game actually I shot the three and I was right by the bench and the guy said, ‘Hell no’ or something like that,” Kolek explained afterward with a smile. “It hit the front rim. I thought it went in. I looked then it bounced and went in and then I said something. Just having that [attitude] to me, having fun with it, talking whatever to the bench, to the crowd, whoever it is. Just getting myself going a little bit is definitely [something] that I pride myself on.”
It wasn’t there in the first two games and particularly in Sunday’s 1-for-13, five-turnover performance. But there was little doubt that the fire was still there. Kolek arrived in the NBA with that and last summer when he debuted in Vegas he bristled at questions of comparisons to players such as TJ McConnell, insisting instead that he saw himself in the mold of Jalen Brunson.
He may never get there, his slim build on a 6-3 frame far from Jalen Brunson’s strength and footwork that makes up for his height or speed. But the Knicks are looking for a backup point guard and on days like this when you see the scoring paired with his natural passing ability along with that attitude, you believe like he does and that he could fill that assignment.
“It was good,” Kolek said. “I was looking forward to Summer League all year, since the season ended, grinding, working toward that. Because I felt like that was the next step, take that next jump. Maybe putting a little too much pressure on myself. Just get back out there, get back to having fun. This game, I feel like that’s the bottom line. When I’m playing my best, I have that swagger.
“Just coming out every day is a proving ground. Every day in the facility, in practice, every chance you step on the NBA floor, every chance you step on the Summer League floor. Any chance I get trying to prove myself to whoever is watching.”
“Yeah. He struggled the first two games,” Knicks summer league coach Jordan Brink said. “He’d be the first to tell you that. But he hasn’t varied his work ethic. He’s been watching film, trying to get better. It was only a matter of time for him to play a little bit better. I’m really happy for him because he’s his biggest critic. He hasn’t played up to his standard so far. So really happy for him.”
Kolek’s clock might be ticking already. He entered the league after four years of college and is now 24 years old. Waiting for his opportunity might seem difficult — and even more so for Knicks fans who begged to see more of him last season. He did play in 41 regular-season games, but it was a seven-game stretch late in the season when injuries opened up an opportunity for him to average 17.4 minutes per game, pile up 42 assists and have only six turnovers.
The turnovers have naturally been more frequent in Vegas where he more than once Tuesday fired a pass that he saw in his mind, but the unfamiliar targets were reading the play differently. After one connection didn’t click, Kolek circled his fingers around his eyes like goggles, imploring the teammate to keep eyes open.
“We had two practices before this, Monday, Tuesday, and we flew out Wednesday. Practicing Thursday and played Friday,” Kolek acknowledged. “Some of these guys you never played with before and you know, like anything, you’ve just got to figure it out. It takes time and I feel like today was a step in the right direction.”
Kolek has a new coach now in Mike Brown sitting courtside and scouting himself. That may be pressure for some, but Kolek was enjoying the opportunity.
“I just kind of had to put that pressure aside,” he said. “It was unwarranted pressure. It wasn’t like the world’s ending. This is Summer League. We’re out here. We’re having fun, we’re hooping. We’re in Las Vegas. It’s a fun city. So you kind of just got to put that stuff to the side. Go out there and hoop and have fun.”
You could tell he was having fun Tuesday, not by the 25 points or the deft passes, but because he was talking.
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.
