Knicks’ Tom Thibodeau is ‘massive fan’ of promising rookie draft pick

For the first time in a few years, the New York Knicks’ rotation could feature a rookie who was drafted in the same year. Point guard Tyler Kolek was drafted in the early second round by the Portland Trail Blazers and immediately traded to the Knicks, and after a standout performance in Summer League where he averaged seven assists per game, many believe that New York has one of the best steals of the draft.

Tyler Kolek is very talented, but the Knicks might not have a consistent spot for him in 2024

Despite that, the Knicks rotation is very deep, meaning that there is simply no obvious lane for Kolek to receive significant playing time. Fred Katz of The Athletic compared the situation to Miles McBride, a guy who was drafted in the second round but didn’t get a serious opportunity until a few years later. He added that Kolek will have his chance at some point because head coach Tom Thibodeau is enamored by his play style.

“I imagine Kolek sits at the end of the bench for most of this season. Eventually, he will receive a chance,” Katz wrote. “Thibodeau is a massive fan and was pushing for the Knicks to draft him. But similar to McBride, who the Knicks drafted in the second round a few years ago before he finally became a regular in 2024, that chance might not come for a bit.”

McBride’s playing time was mostly sporadic in his first three seasons as Immanuel Quickley was taking up the backup point guard spot. Once Quickley left in the OG Anunoby deal, that opened up a spot for McBride to showcase his talents regularly, and he has since developed into a reliable backup that provides elite defense on the perimeter and the ability to catch fire from three-point range.

Kolek’s lack of defensive versatility is a major weakness

Therefore, it would take a lot for Kolek to take McBride’s minutes away from him this upcoming season. Kolek is an exceptional offensive player with great passing abilities and can knock down shots from beyond the arc. However, his small stature and lack of defense hurt his chances of getting significant burn on a Thibodeau-led team.

The Knicks could benefit from Kolek’s playmaking, as they were one of the worst bench scoring teams in the league last season and struggled in the time Jalen Brunson was off the court. But it is still within reason to slowly integrate him into the NBA landscape, as college and summer league are vastly different from the big stage.

How the Knicks will handle Kolek on the roster remains to be seen. If he performs well in training camp and preseason, he could be heavily in the mix right away. Otherwise, he might have to wait a bit longer before he gets his first big break in the NBA.