The overall consensus on draft evening was the Knicks landed a steal within the second spherical with Tyler Kolek.
The previous Marquette star has achieved nothing since then to vary that narrative.
He shined in summer time league and has impressed by means of coaching camp.
The sport hasn’t appeared too quick for him.
His teammates and coach Tom Thibodeau have raved about his work ethic, professionalism and potential.
It’s not out of the query he could possibly be a contributor as a rookie.
“Besides the fact that he went to Marquette, I like Tyler a lot,” Jalen Brunson mentioned. “That’s my guy. I’m not surprised with the way he’s been playing. Just watching him since being here working on his game every day being in the gym. You put the work in, the results are going to show.”
Thibodeau added: “I’ve said this [before], to me, the first step is to come in and learn how to be a pro, and he’s already demonstrated that.”
In two preseason video games, Kolek is averaging 13 factors, three assists and two steals.
He’s picked up the place he left off in Las Vegas throughout summer time league, when he posted 9.6 factors, 7.0 assists and simply 1.4 turnovers.
The left-handed flooring basic, the Massive East Participant of the Yr in 2022-23 who averaged 15.3 factors and seven.7 assists final 12 months at Marquette, hasn’t been intimidated by his new environment or in awe of his star-studded crew.
Hornets. NBAE by way of Getty Photographs
“That just comes through the work, through the confidence, through my work ethic,” mentioned Kolek, chosen No. 34 total by the Knicks. “At the end of the day, it’s just a basketball game, no matter the level that I’m at.”
The 6-foot-1 Kolek is beginning over and gained’t essentially be a part of Thibodeau’s rotation when the video games begin for actual, a minimum of initially.
He’s a part of a title contender with veterans forward of him, from Brunson to Cam Payne to Miles McBride.
He understands it may take time. He’s approaching it the identical means he has different steps in his profession.
“Everybody goes through it. High school, I did it. College, I did it,” Kolek mentioned. “Now, I got to do it all over again. Just start your building blocks. You tore down that house. College is over with. Now, I’m trying to build another house. Just starting with my building blocks, getting my foundation and building from there.”
He couldn’t have a greater mentor than Brunson, who fell out of the primary spherical in 2018 regardless of main Villanova to the nationwide championship that season because the Nationwide Participant of the Yr.
Brunson needed to earn every thing he obtained and now is among the finest guards within the league.
Kolek seemed like Brunson in describing his transition, stating what he has to do higher reasonably than basking in his Backyard Knicks debut Wednesday, when he had 15 factors and 5 assists in a rout of the Wizards.
Kolek informed reporters unprompted that he has struggled in follow with turnovers, as he tries to seek out the precise stability between scoring and distributing.
He comes throughout as assured in himself with out being cocky, figuring out there’s a lot for him to be taught.
“I’m still figuring it out, finding my pace,” Kolek mentioned. “Maybe in practice I haven’t been as aggressive looking at the basket. So it’s been kind of intentional in these games to get those looks because then it opens up everything else with my passing.”
