Knicks hand backup point guard minutes to Tyler Kolek over Jose Alvarado
Mike Brown went to Tyler Kolek over Jose Alvarado in the Knicks' 135-105 rout of the Bulls and said Kolek keeps the job as long as he produces.
The Knicks have a new backup point guard, at least for now. In Wednesday's 135-105 win over the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden, Mike Brown played Tyler Kolek behind Jalen Brunson and kept Jose Alvarado on the bench until the fourth quarter, when the game was already decided. Afterward Brown said the job belongs to Kolek until he decides otherwise, according to the New York Post.
That is a reversal from earlier in the week. Kolek ran the second unit while Alvarado missed four games with a sprained ankle, but before Alvarado came back Monday against Brooklyn, Brown said the veteran would get his old role back and would not lose minutes because of the injury. Alvarado got the first chance against the Nets. Kolek took over in the second half of that game, and Brown stayed with him against Chicago. "Nobody's minutes are set in stone," Brown told the Post, adding that he would go back to Alvarado if Kolek isn't getting the job done.
Kolek did his part. He played 11 minutes, didn't attempt a shot and finished with five assists and no turnovers. During his six-minute shift in the second quarter, a 22-point lead grew to 29, and he was the one Brown sent back out in the third. Alvarado went 0-for-4 with two turnovers in garbage time. Brown pointed out that both guards have helped the team win, crediting Kolek for his role in the NBA Cup final against San Antonio and Alvarado for his part in the title run, so the job could change hands again.
The New York Daily News reported that Brunson scored a game-high 33 points, 22 of them in the first quarter, and OG Anunoby added 18. With Josh Hart out because of right ankle soreness, Landry Shamet started. Hart's absence also opened a spot for Dalton Knecht, who was called up from the Westchester Knicks for his debut and had 10 points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes. Brown said he is "not concerned" about Hart. The same ankle kept Hart out of the preseason finale against Toronto and cost him games last season.
What it means for Cleveland
The win evened New York at 4-4, the first time the Knicks have been at .500 since the opener. After a 1-4 start that included home losses to Philadelphia and Orlando and a four-point loss in Boston, they have won three of their last four. The last two came at home by a combined 43 points, 103-90 over Brooklyn and Wednesday's 30-point win over Chicago.
Saturday's game in Cleveland (NBA TV) is a tougher test of whether the new rotation holds up. The Knicks are 1-2 on the road. They lost by five in Philadelphia and by four in Boston, and their only road win came in a 133-127 shootout in Chicago. Close games on the road are where a backup point guard's ball security matters most, and Kolek went turnover-free on Wednesday. If Hart can't play again, Brown will have to choose between Shamet and Knecht on the wing. Alvarado's on-ball pressure is still the option Brown has kept in reserve. His comments make clear that Kolek's next few games will decide how long the change lasts.
