Does the NBA have another Jason Williams on their hands? While it may be entirely too soon for that type of comparison, the New York Knicks seem to have found a baller in second-round pick Tyler Kolek.
During a Summer League game against the Detroit Pistons on Friday night, Kolek made a mind-bending 360 no-look jump pass to Duane Washington Jr. who proceeded to drain a three to give New York the early lead.
TYLER KOLEK'S COURT VISION 👀
Spins in the air to find Duane Washington Jr. for 3… his 5th AST in the 1Q!
NYK-DET on ESPN | #NBA2KSummerLeague pic.twitter.com/VpLjaChmiD
— NBA (@NBA) July 19, 2024
Kolek finished the game with eight points, three rebounds, one steal, and seven assists over 31 minutes. However, none of his assists were more impressive than the first quarter no-looker.
Tyler Kolek against the Pistons :
8 points
7 assists
3 rebounds
1 stealKolek is not a system player, he is the system. 🧠pic.twitter.com/V2erLKCEb0
— Kolek Muse (@TylerKolekMuse) July 20, 2024
While the Knicks and their fans are only just getting an early look at Kolek’s magic ball-handling skills, his former teammates back at Marquette are intimately familiar with the dazzling assists.
“I remember one. He like came down on the left side. Kind of toward the middle. It was just a random, messed-up play. Somehow I floated to the corner. And he, like, spinned around and threw it behind his head. But I missed it. That’s probably the craziest one. He does throw way more crazier passes in practice, for sure. But he’s not afraid to pull them out in a game,” David Joplin told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel in March.
“In practice, he’ll throw like a pass from behind his head from halfcourt without looking to a cutter from the three-point line. And they’ll catch it and dunk it. He’s made some really crazy passes that you wouldn’t even think someone would make,” Kam Jones added.
While the Summer League will not make, break or define a player’s career, there’s no denying that Kolek has and will continue to open some eyes.
