Tyler Kolek's Cup runneth over! Knicks point guard showing he belongs
The New York Knicks' Tyler Kolek (13) celebrates after making a shot in the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025, in Indianapolis. (Dylan Buell/Getty Images/TNS) Credit: TNS/Dylan Buell
INDIANAPOLIS
It’s not just a banner that won’t memorialize the Knicks' NBA Cup championship for posterity. The numbers, all of the points, assists and rebounds, were erased from history once the game was over — an extra date on the NBA calendar that doesn’t count in anyone’s statistical compilation.
But just as the Knicks hope the celebration that they enjoyed gave them an experience that will help when the postseason arrives, there was an individual performance that may have provided a sense of trust and belief that changes fortunes.
Tyler Kolek was one of the unlikely heroes in Tuesday’s NBA Cup final, sparking a fourth-quarter comeback against San Antonio and scoring a career-best 14 points with five assists and five rebounds in the Knicks' 124-113 win.
Scoring in double-figures for the first time in his career was wiped away when the game was over. But for Kolek, it was an opportunity, and with that chance, he grabbed hold and carried it over.
On Thursday, he again provided a much-needed boost, posting career highs of 16 points and 11 assists on a night when little was going right for the Knicks. He also had six rebounds, shot 7-for-10 and helped set the stage for a three-pointer by Jalen Brunson with 4.4 seconds left that gave the Knicks a 114-113 victory.
“I think any time you go out and you have success as a group, it gives you confidence, it adds to that belief,” coach Mike Brown said. “And that was one of the things I said about that tournament run, that Cup run. It’s just a small sample of what it could be at the end of the day. It gives us a taste of what could be with this team.
"He had a great run, especially in that game. And his confidence is continuing to go up. And as a young guy, there are probably times it’s going to go back down a couple notches. But we’re all here to uplift him and remind him how good of a player he is.”
Kolek has never lacked for confidence in his own abilities, but he has faced a learning curve throughout his rookie season and the early part of his second season while trying to earn the trust of his coaches. But to have a chance with the ball in his hands with the basketball world watching, that opened eyes.
“Just being out there, being able to have my teammates' trust,” Kolek said of what has changed. “They’re looking to give me the ball. They know I’m going to make plays. They know I’m going to give them the ball, too. Just having the trust of my guys and my coaches.”
“The opportunity is there for him,” Brown said. “So to see him take advantage of it is huge because only he can do that. Even back when I first got here, I talked amongst our group, I said, ‘Hey, man, Tyler might have a chance at this thing.’ The biggest thing for him was knowing who he is.”
Who he is may be up for debate. In summer league before his rookie season, Kolek was compared to Indiana’s T.J. McConnell. He bristled at that comparison and insisted that if there were a model for his game, it was Brunson, his new teammate. But Brown mentions McConnell as someone Kolek should emulate.
“He works his tail off with everything and he was working his tail off in shooting the three,” Brown said. “And I just didn’t want him to lose sight — he can score. He can flat-out score. I didn’t want him to lose sight of that ability because in my opinion, he can do it at a pretty high level for a young guy. And it’s not about the three-point line. If they give you the three, take it. Because he’s good enough and confident enough. Plus he works hard enough at it to shoot the three.
“And then the flip side, I said you’re small enough. And I’m not comparing all small white guys with each other when I give T.J. McConnell as an example. But I say, look, this dude has been in the league for 30 years. And it’s because of his toughness first, especially defensively, and his ability offensively to understand where his strengths are.
“And I said, if there’s anybody in this league you need to take a look at, it’s him. Because you have a superpower offensively — you can score. You have a second superpower — you can pass. You have some quickness, too. You have a good feel. But defensively, you got to develop a superpower for your size. And you got good feet. Now it’s about using those and being physically tough every single possession, which is what he’s been doing.”
Kolek's chances have come thanks to injuries to Deuce McBride and Landry Shamet that created an opening — but what he has gotten, he has earned.
“The work always pays off and it’s undefeated,” Kolek said. “What you put in, you’re going to get out. I firmly believe in that. I put in a lot of time.”
Steve Popper covers the Knicks for Newsday. He has spent nearly three decades covering the Knicks and the NBA, along with just about every sports team in the New York metropolitan area.
