Tyler Kolek had been building a strong case for a bigger Knicks role, but Friday night brought a hard reset.
The third-year point guard has been stepping into the backup spot after Jose Alvarado injured his ankle last week, and the early returns were encouraging. Through his first three games in that role, Kolek looked more comfortable by the night.
His passing stayed sharp, he kept teammates involved, and he walked the line between pushing the action and protecting the ball. The second unit offense looked cleaner with him running it, and he held up better defensively than he had before.
That stretch had people wondering whether the backup point guard job was starting to tilt in his direction for good.
Then came the Knicks’ game against the 76ers, and Kolek’s roughest night of the season arrived at the worst possible time. New York had a chance to climb back to .500 against a rival, but Kolek’s flaws showed up in plain view.
His run of 21 straight assists without a turnover ended when he coughed it up twice in just 13 minutes. He shot 1-3 from the field and didn’t offer much on defense, either.
Still, it would be wrong to pin the night on him alone. Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby, Josh Hart, Andre Drummond, and Landry Shamet all had disappointing outings of their own.
Even with that, Kolek finished as one of only three Knicks with a positive plus-minus. And when he shared the floor with Karl-Anthony Towns, New York was a +8.7 per 100 possessions. That’s part of what makes this situation so tricky: the answer at backup point guard doesn’t look fixed.
Alvarado still brings value, especially with the defense and energy he showed during the Knicks’ postseason run. But he has his own limitations.
His shooting can be streaky, sometimes even more so than Kolek’s. He’s a steady offensive organizer, but he isn’t the passer or creator Kolek is.
Kolek has clearly made progress and should keep getting chances to prove it. And even with Mike Brown’s recent comments about Alvarado adding some uncertainty around the guard’s return, Kolek should still have a place in the rotation in some form whenever that comes. For now, though, the spot looks like exactly what it is: fluid.
In Other News...
Josh Hart Just Put The Knicks Early Problem On Blast
The Knicks are still early enough in the season for a rough patch to be framed as a warning instead of a verdict, but the loss to Philadelphia made the warning hard to ignore. At 2-4, New York has already shown the kind of sluggish starts and turnover issues that can put a game on the wrong track before the roster settles in, and Josh Hart did not sugarcoat what he thinks is going on.
Hart said the group feels fatigued and needs to be more deliberate and physically prepared, which puts a spotlight on the way the Knicks have opened games and managed their energy. With the season still young, the bigger question is whether the staff leans into rotation adjustments to clean up the early issues or waits for the group to play its way into a better rhythm. [Read more 🡒]
Wembanyama Just Revisited The Villain Role He Played Against The Knicks
Victor Wembanyamas first postseason gave the league a sharper look at both his talent and his edge, and it also showed him where the line can get blurry when the games turn physical. Speaking during the 2026 NBA Finals, the Spurs star revisited the moments that helped fuel a villain label, saying the criticism did not bother him but acknowledging he had to better control his competitiveness when the pressure and contact ramped up.
For Knicks fans, the memory is still fresh because that edge showed up against New York in a playoff setting where every possession felt loaded. Wembanyama has since added Defensive Player of the Year and All-NBA recognition to his resume, and his current season numbers show he remains central to San Antonios plans, but the bigger takeaway is how quickly his postseason reputation became part of the conversation around him. [Read more 🡒]
Jalen Brunsons First Six Games Leave Knicks Fans With One Big Question
Jalen Brunsons first six games have already given the Knicks a little bit of everything. He has produced a season-high 38 points in a recent win over Chicago, shown the shot-making that can carry an offense, and also offered the kind of playmaking that keeps teammates involved. The numbers around his start point to a player who has been central to what New York has done on both ends, even if the early stretch has included a few uneven shooting nights.
Brunsons impact has been easy to see in the box score and in the on-court metrics, where the Knicks have looked different with him on the floor. The bigger question is how much of the early-season profile is sustainable if the scoring efficiency wobbles from night to night, because his usage and the teams overall rhythm are so tightly connected. For a Knicks team trying to set its tone early, Brunsons start has been encouraging, but it also leaves one important issue hanging over the next few weeks. [Read more 🡒]