LAS VEGAS — Unlike so many who visit Sin City, Tyler Kolek left this city in a much better position than when he arrived.
It is not a stretch to say that without him, the Knicks likely don’t win the NBA Cup. Jalen Brunson even said so himself. It is not a stretch that these two games in Vegas — the semis and the final — were the two best of his young career.
It’s not a stretch that these performances could impact the Knicks’ potential desire to trade for an upgrade at backup point guard.
He was key to the Knicks’ fourth-quarter turnaround during their 124-113 win over the Spurs on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena.
“He played big time,” Jalen Brunson said. “I’m very happy for him. Maybe a surprise to a bunch of people, but none of you see how hard this kid works. Just very happy for him and the way he played tonight. Helped us, for sure — we needed him. He works so hard, I’m very happy for him. This is big time for him.”
Having trailed most of the game, the Knicks outscored the Spurs by 16 points in the fourth quarter, and Kolek played almost the entirety of it.
It was him, not Mikal Bridges, who coach Mike Brown had on the floor down the stretch. He finished with 14 points, five assists and five rebounds and was plus-14.
Spurs defenders were pressuring ball-handlers — particularly Brunson — aggressively all night. Brown’s decision to play Kolek alongside him to have another ball-handler off the floor and take pressure off Brunson worked like a charm.
Tuesday’s showing followed a breakout effort in the semis on Saturday against the Magic, when he similarly played significant fourth-quarter minutes.
“If you’re a rookie, if you’re a young guy, if you appreciate the game, you should be looking at what he’s doing and how he’s finding his ability to get on the court and stay on the court,” Josh Hart said. “And you should model yourself off of that.”
Kolek was set to earn roughly $2 million this year. The prize money for winning the Cup is $530,933 per player.
As Hart scored the final basket of the game, he looked over at Kolek and flashed a money sign with his hands.
It was fitting, because in Vegas, he became Kasino Kolek.
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