Tyler Kolek isn’t into these careless comparisons.
No, he insists, he is not like T.J. McConnell, the feisty, undersized Indiana Pacers gym rat who shares no other obvious similarities with the former Marquette guard. Kolek, the New York Knicks’ second-round pick in this past draft, is his own man.
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“I think it’s a little lazy. … We don’t need to say it,” Kolek said with a smile. “But nah, he plays hard every night. I got a bit of that as a scrappy, junkyard dog as well, so I guess you could say it in that sense.”
But that’s where the doppelgänger ends.
Kolek just concluded his first-ever summer league, balling with the Knicks in Las Vegas for five up-and-down games that included one throughline: Even without much experience, he understood how to organize his team’s offense.
A point guard in control stands out at summer league, where rosters mishmash hastily, where players from young to old audition for full-time NBA roles, where coaches don’t receive much time to implement a system or regular principles. Of course, composure is what the Knicks expected when they traded up for Kolek, the No. 34 pick in June. With his presence, even amidst the inevitable chaos of summer league, came a maturity.
7 assists per game, 5:1 assist to turnover ratio
Tyler Kolek dimes from Summer League ⬇️
See Also33 Magical Things to do in Marquette, MichiganMarquette, Michigan: The Ultimate Travel Guide— Teg🚨 (@IQfor3) July 21, 2024
It means there may be another player instead of the oft-referred-to McConnell that Kolek could align himself with once he begins his pro career — and it’s a connection that would be a tad more egregious, even if it is convenient.
Kolek is not the next Brunson. Brunson may have been a second-round selection, as well, but there’s a reason the All-NBA point guard’s rise is remarkable. Players drafted in Brunson’s or Kolek’s range rarely transform into All-Stars. They don’t pop up on MVP ballots, as Brunson did in 2023-24. They don’t lead teams to one victory away from the Eastern Conference finals or become centerpieces of championship contenders.
Brunson is one of one. There won’t be a second. But the way he climbed into the NBA’s elite is why Kolek should not leave his side. If imitation is the world’s greatest compliment, then the Marquette alum should spend the years ahead stealing from the point guard who plays in front of him.
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“(Brunson’s) game, I feel like that’s a little closer to what I like to do than T.J. McConnell,” Kolek said. “Play at my own pace, getting in the paint, getting guys involved. I can learn from him in the midrange, in that short area when I’m coming off ball screens or isolations. I’m just really excited to learn from him and watch him and take as much as I can.”
Nowhere else could Kolek discover a more apt mentor.
Even his first summer-league bucket came on a move Brunson could help him perfect.
Midway through the second quarter of an opening game against the Charlotte Hornets, Kolek raced around teammate Duane Washington Jr. on the left side of the court. Washington handed the ball off to Kolek, who continued toward the basket with his defender in front of him. With one opponent in his face and another, a shot-blocking center, set to help from the weak side, Kolek needed space.
He couldn’t speed by anyone. But maybe, just maybe, he could deke them into accelerating past him.
Kolek picked up his dribble and went two steps to the rim. By the time the second foot hit the court, his primary defender, Matt Morgan, flew toward the baseline, unable to halt his momentum. Yet, Kolek went the other way, leaning backward and creating just enough room to bank in a nifty, left-handed layup.
In a league where scouts, players and fans obsess over how quickly guards can rev from zero to 60, Kolek can flip from 40 to zero.
It’s the same talent that turned Brunson, who could dizzy a dreidel, into one of the game’s greatest scorers.
“It’s just playing under control, picking angles, getting to the line,” Kolek said. “That’s a really big thing. (Brunson) does a great job at getting to the line. I really gotta learn that. In the NBA, it’s so different. … You can overexaggerate things, just little tricks of the trade you can pick up from older guys.”
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Kolek was no free-throw gorger during his four years at Marquette, but he made up for an inconsistent jump shot with this type of craftiness in the paint. Nearly half of his shots came at the rim during his final collegiate season, according to Synergy Sports. He shot an impressive 61 percent on those looks.
He averaged 9.6 points and 7.0 assists in 27.2 minutes in five summer-league games, shooting 36 percent from the field and 31 percent from 3.
“(He’s) very unselfish,” Knicks summer-league head coach Dice Yoshimoto said. “Great floor game. Tough, smart, and obviously he’s a winner.”
The thing about Tyler Kolek is, when he has the ball with an advantage that forces help, from ANYWHERE, he will process it and make the right pass. His vision is outrageous. pic.twitter.com/tEJJFX07Jn
— Hot Hand Theory (@HotHandTheory) July 20, 2024
Part of Kolek’s appeal heading into the draft was his NBA readiness. He played four years at Marquette and is already 23 years old. But the Knicks, who fell in love with Kolek during the pre-draft process, did not want to enter 2024-25 relying on a rookie, no matter their long-term thoughts on him.
Now, New York is set at point guard. Brunson will start. Miles “Deuce” McBride, an incumbent reserve, will come off the bench. Veteran backup Cameron Payne signed with the team last week. There is no pressure on Kolek to perform right away — even if the signs of a player prepared for pro ball are beginning to blossom.
“I think I can definitely run the show, get guys involved, but at the end of the day, it’s whatever the team needs,” Kolek said. “Whatever Jalen asks me to do, I’m gonna follow his lead. Other than that, whatever coach (Tom Thibodeau) asks me to do, I’m gonna follow that lead.”
(Photo of Tyler Kolek: David Dow / NBAE via Getty Images)
Fred Katz is a staff writer for The Athletic NBA covering the New York Knicks. Follow Fred on Twitter @FredKatz
