Analyst Drops Bold Prediction on Knicks Rookie

New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau doesn’t like to play rookies too much in his rotations, but there may be an exception for second-round point guard Tyler Kolek.

Kolek, 23, has four years of college experience under his belt (one at George Mason, three at Marquette), making him an atypical first-year player. Given his experience, Kolek learned how to be an effective table-setter in college for a top program, and that should get him a head start in the NBA.

Bleacher Report writer Eric Pincus believes Kolek will lead the league in assists among rookies.

“Kolek will lead his class in assists per game, coming off the bench for the Knicks,” Pincus writes.

It would be a surprise for a second-round pick to lead the league in any statistical category, let alone a big one like assists. For a player on a contending roster that already has a few point guards ahead of him in the depth chart only makes it tougher.

That being said, the 2024 NBA Draft class didn’t have very many point guards to begin with. Only four true point guards were taken ahead of Kolek in the draft.

The San Antonio Spurs took Stephon Castle with the No. 4 overall pick, and he is probably the one player most likely to lead the league in assists other than Kolek. Rob Dillingham was chosen by the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he isn’t expected to be a major assist guy at the next level. The Oklahoma City Thunder are redshirting Nikola Topic after an ACL tear, and Utah Jazz guard Isaiah Collier won’t see the floor much with Keyonte George ahead of him.

So it may sound far-fetched, but it could be a real possibility if Thibodeau can trust Kolek with some minutes.

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