Knicks Rookie Pulls Off NBA, G League Double

New Year’s Day was a working holiday for New York Knicks rookie Tyler Kolek.

Kolek played for both editions of the Knicks on Wednesday: the second-round choice out of Marquette was one of three rookies, alongside draft classmates Pacome Dadiet and Ariel Hukporti, sent to Westchester to play for the G League club in White Plains in the afternoon before returning to Manhattan for the NBA club’s contest at Madison Square Garden.

Kolek wound up playing 52 minutes on Wednesday, registering 40 in the matinee against the Indiana Mad Ants before he got a dozen more in the evening’s NBA showdown against the Utah Jazz upon his recall alongside Dadiet and Hukporti. Both Westchester and New York tipped off the new year on the right note, successfully defending their home courts by respective finals of 117-114 and 119-103.

“It was good. I had a few hours in between,” Kolek said of his busy day, per video from SNY. “I just tried to do what could to recover and just be ready to go … It’s more mental than anything. Obviously two guys go out with injuries, so I kind of got to step in and be ready to go no matter the circumstances. No matter who’s out, just always got to be ready to go.”

Kolek played a major role in both games: up in White Plains, he posted a 36-point, 11-assist double-double in a comeback victory, Westchester’s first since the G League regular season tipped off immediately after Christmas Day. Kolek played a role in all seven Westchester points in the extra session that played to a target score. He dealt an assist to Hukporti and scored the other five tallies in the frame, including the game-clinching free throw that sealed the deal against the Indiana Pacers’ prospects.

Back in the city, Kolek helped solved a conundrum in the backcourt; the Knicks were missing both Jalen Brunson and Miles McBride on Wednesday, as they were both late scratches due to injuries. Kolek’s 12 minutes were his most since Nov. 23, which ironically also featured a matchup with the Jazz.

Kolek relieved starter Cameron Payne at the onset of the second period and immediately found Precious Achiuwa for a dunk that gave the Knicks (24-10) a permanent lead. He wound up dishing out four helpers on Wednesday, the most among all reserves and setting an NBA career-high in the process.

While Kolek has yet to establish a lasting role in Tom Thibodeau’s rotation, he did earn some respect from the Knicks head coach in the aftermath.

“It says a lot about him,” Thibodeau said (h/t New York Basketball on X). “I love him, he’s in the gym all the time.”

Time will tell where Kolek ends up next: Westchester is staying at home to face the Delaware Blue Coats on Thursday night (7 p.m. ET, MSGSN) while the NBA club has a big interconference game against the Oklahoma City Thunder a night later (8 p.m. ET, MSG/NBA TV).

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