Shaka Smart Explains Tyler Kolek’s ‘Real Fit’ With Knicks

Marquette head coach Shaka Smart believes that his former Golden Eagles protege has a golden opportunity with the New York Knicks … and vice versa.

Kolek joins the Knicks as the 34th pick of the most recent draft out of Milwaukee. Smart oversaw the latter three seasons of a college career that began at George Mason. He was one of the headliners of Smart’s Marquette magnum opus to date, the 2022-23 season that saw them win a program-record 29 games and their first Big East Men’s Basketball Tournament title.

The Knicks have made a relatively large investment into Kolek, trading several future draft picks to Portland for the right to gain his services and offering him a $9 million contract, one of the most expensive in recent second-round memory. But that’s far from the reason why Smart believes the Knicks were the “right fit” for the 2023 Big East Player of the Year.

“(Knicks head coach) Tom Thibodeau is known as the toughest, grittiest, most hard-nosed coach in the NBA,” Smart said in a report from Zach Braziller of the New York Post. “Tyler Kolek is tough, he’s gritty, he’s competitive, he doesn’t back down from any challenge.”

Under Smart’s watch, Kolek developed into an All-American and All-Big East first-team nominee. He also led the nation in assists over this past season, which saw Marquette reach the Sweet 16 round for the first time since 2013.

Smart believes that the Knicks will come to appreciate Kolek’s passing, but he also spoke about his more direct contributions to the scoreboard, especially while working with fellow Big East alumni from Villanova.

“I actually think the part of his game that may surprise some people up there, that I’ve always felt was underrated, is his shooting,” Smart said. “Now you’re playing with (Jalen) Brunson, you’re playing with (Mikal) Bridges, guys that command a lot of attention. Can you make that open shot when your (defender) helps? I think he’ll be able to do that at a high level.”

To Smart’s point, Kolek averaged a career-best 15.3 points per game last season. He shot 49.6 percent from the floor in his final flights with the Golden Eagles, good for seventh in the most recent Big East.

Kolek’s Knicks career unofficially tips off on Saturday late afternoon, the team tips off Summer League play against the Charlotte Hornets’ prospects (5 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

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