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“I just gotta play my game everyday,” Kolek said to a small group of reporters while hosting a youth basketball clinic with FlexWork Sports at The House of Sports in Ardsley on Saturday. “Be consistent, whatever the coaches need just follow their direction and let it be what it is.” Kolek isn’t in control of his minutes.
He is, however, in control of what he does with the opportunities he gets, however limited, for an NBA champion looking to protect its throne. Kolek knows there’s much more to his game than he’s been able to display in short stints over his first two NBA seasons. “There’s definitely a lot left [for me to show],” he said. “Every year I try and get better. That’s how it’s been since college, year over year from my first year in the NBA and last year, the improvement. Now I’m just looking forward to improving on that.”
The Sixers weren’t the only Eastern team to make big moves. Giannis Antetokounmpo and Klay Thompson joined Bam Adeabayo and Andrew Wiggins in Miami, and the Toronto Raptors traded for Kawhi Leonard, backed out of the trade in the wake of his salary-cap circumvention scandal, yet are still in play to trade for him again. “It happens every year in the NBA. The [Oklahoma City] Thunder won the year before, and everybody loaded up to try to beat the Thunder,” said Kolek. “We win, it happens every single year. It’s a copycat league. Teams are trying to beat the best and compete with the best, so they do what they can.”
Stefan Bondy: The Knicks have recalled Ariel Hukporti and Tyler Kolek from the G League for tonight’s game against the Warriors. They did not recall Pacome Dadiet.
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Ian Begley: Mike Brown was asked on Wednesday about the addition of Jeremy Sochan and what it may mean for rookie Mohamed Diawara, who has played well for NYK: “Mo’s had a good season so far. As a young guy — as you guys know, I’ll play young guys and I have played young guys in front of vets before. But I’m going to give Jeremy an opportunity…similar to Tyler (Kolek). Jose (Alvarado) is a vet. He knows the league. The league knows him. He knows the officials and visa versa. So (Sochan and Alvarado are) going to get an opportunity. But at the end of the day I’m going to play who I think is best for us. Right now, Jeremy is new. He hasn’t played for us. So I have to see rather quickly what we have in him before going to the playoffs.”
Most likely to be traded: Guerschon Yabusele, Pacome Dadiet, Jordan Clarkson and Tyler Kolek. New York has been on the hunt for a proven ballhandler for its second unit and big-man insurance. To get either one of those without breaking up its core group, these are the names the Knicks would most likely have to part with. Dadiet, a recent first-round pick, doesn’t play and the Knicks, who are close to the second apron, can’t take in more money than they send out, so they might have to add another salary to Yabusele depending on who they trade for. The same goes for Kolek, except he’s shown some flashes here and there in Year 2. Clarkson is on a veteran minimum after getting bought out by the Jazz last offseason. He signed with the Knicks, expecting to play. However, he’s been out of the rotation. It feels more likely that Clarkson gets bought out than traded if he and New York part ways, but his salary could be useful in a small deal.
The Knicks’ bench tied Cavaliers at 46 points apiece. “They change the game. When I was younger, I tried to change the game when I came in off the bench,” said Jalen Brunson. “No matter what was going on, I had to change the pace, I had to get us going, I had to do something to make sure we weren’t playing the same or get us back in the game regardless of what we were doing. “Tyler’s doing that, Jordan’s been a vet, been around for a long time. He does that every time he’s on the court. And Mitch is being who he is. He just impacts basketball, and so he’s always gonna be impacting the game as well. It’s all about them coming in and changing the game, and that’s their mindset and what they come in and do every single time.”
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At halftime in Minnesota on Tuesday night, Knicks head coach Mike Brown lit into Tyler Kolek. The coach watched Kolek miss seven of his 10 shots in the first half and he wasn’t happy about it. “You’ve taken 10 shots, the second most on the team, only made three; three or four of those shots were airballs,” the coach said. “If you want to take that many f------ shots, you gotta make (them).”
Kolek didn’t wilt from the criticism. He embraced it, going 6-for-12 in the second half of the Knicks’ loss. At one point in the second half, he knocked down a three-pointer that led to a Timberwolves timeout. Walking over to the bench, Kolek looked Brown in the eye and delivered a message. “I’m gonna knock that m---------er down,” he said to his coach.
Five minutes and three Kolek three-pointers later, the Garden crowd was engaged in long, loud ‘Ty-ler Kol-ek’ chants. Every fan in the building seemed to be stunned watching the Kolek show. His teammates weren’t surprised though. “It’s a testament to his mental strength, his mental fortitude and the work that he puts in,” Karl-Anthony Towns said.
Knicks Videos: Tyler Kolek says he appreciates Mike Brown's style of coaching: "He coaches me hard. You want a head coach that's on you - if he's not, that's more of a problem than the other way around. When you're a point guard, you're an extension of the coach. If he's trying to get his message across, he's going to say it to you. Maybe he didn't mean it AT you, but he's trying to get it across to everyone on the team." Kolek then adds to a story that Mike Brown told from the Knicks' game in Minnesota: "I made a three, they called a timeout, and I said, 'I'm gonna knock that mfer down.' When I'm in the flow of it, I love talking. It gets me going."
Tyler Kolek says he appreciates Mike Brown's style of coaching:
— Knicks Videos (@sny_knicks) December 25, 2025
"He coaches me hard. You want a head coach that's on you - if he's not, that's more of a problem than the other way around.
When you're a point guard, you're an extension of the coach. If he's trying to get his… pic.twitter.com/D8NcVAspqa
