One of the few things that Mike Brown revealed about his strategic plans in his opening press conference was that he wants to lean into pace and space. The Knicks were one of the slowest teams in the league last year, and an uptick in pace could help jumpstart their offense. One of the ways Brown can accomplish that is by giving more of the backup point guard minutes to Tyler Kolek.
Kolek didn't get much of an opportunity in his rookie season under Tom Thibodeau. The Marquette product only logged just 296 minutes in his freshman season, with more than 50 percent of them coming in fourth quarters, mainly during garbage time.
There is a long way to go before Kolek can become a solid rotation player in the NBA. The biggest area he needs to improve is his shooting. Last season, he shot just 32.9 percent from the field and 29.8 percent from three. That type of efficiency won't cut it in today's game. However, Kolek is an excellent passer. He is more than capable of running an offense and dishing highlight-worthy dimes already.
Outside of his passing, the element of Kolek's game that might earn him minutes under Brown is the fact that he can push the pace, and the offense ran quicker than when Brunson was running the show last season.
One of the few things that Mike Brown revealed about his strategic plans in his opening press conference was that he wants to lean into pace and space. The Knicks were one of the slowest teams in the league last year, and an uptick in pace could help jumpstart their offense. One of the ways Brown can accomplish that is by giving more of the backup point guard minutes to Tyler Kolek.
Kolek didn't get much of an opportunity in his rookie season under Tom Thibodeau. The Marquette product only logged just 296 minutes in his freshman season, with more than 50 percent of them coming in fourth quarters, mainly during garbage time.
There is a long way to go before Kolek can become a solid rotation player in the NBA. The biggest area he needs to improve is his shooting. Last season, he shot just 32.9 percent from the field and 29.8 percent from three. That type of efficiency won't cut it in today's game. However, Kolek is an excellent passer. He is more than capable of running an offense and dishing highlight-worthy dimes already.
Outside of his passing, the element of Kolek's game that might earn him minutes under Brown is the fact that he can push the pace, and the offense ran quicker than when Brunson was running the show last season.
Picking up the pace with Kolek
According to league tracking data, the Knicks averaged 15.6 seconds per possession over the previous three seasons, the longest of any team in the league. Since Brunson has joined the Knicks, that has just been how their offense operates.
Brown, during his time in Sacramento, ran one of the fastest-paced offenses in the league. It is one of the biggest changes I expect Brown to try to implement in his first season in New York, and it also might be one of the ways that Kolek can earn minutes.
Last year, when Kolek was the guard bringing up the ball, the Knicks were faster crossing the halfcourt and getting into their first action than when Brunson was the one bringing up the ball, according to league tracking data.
Furthermore, Kolek is exceptional at passing in transition. Admittedly, the sample size is small, but last season, Kolek didn't commit a single turnover on 38 transition passes. There were only 11 other guards in the league who passed at least 35 times in transition without committing a turnover.
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