The New York Knicks are one of those younger veteran teams, and while they aren't old by any means, it isn't exactly easy for some of the young, young guys to crack the rotation.
That includes Tyler Kolek out of Marquette, who many Knicks fans would like to see get an opportunity. Sadly, he might not be ready for it.
Kolek has shown some flashes during his young career, but ultimately, it’ll be tough for him to crack the Knicks' rotation, given his youth.
According to an anonymous Knicks scout, when talking with Keith Smith of Spotrac, the rotation is tough to crack for Kolek and others, but the team is a lot more comfortable than it was a year ago on playing some of its younger players.
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“This is a tough rotation to crack. We have a lot of NBA veterans who are going to play a lot. But Pacome (Dadiet) looked a lot more comfortable this year than last year. Tyler (Kolek) got some run last year and we’re comfortable with playing him more this year. Ariel (Hukporti) was forced to play at times last year and he’s more ready if that happens again this year,” Smith wrote.
With Tom Thibodeau no longer at the helm for the Knicks and Mike Brown taking over, some of the young players may have to play every night. Thibodeau continued to run a tight rotation, and there's value in that, but it's also something Knicks players weren't exactly too happy about, according to reports.
Only time will tell, but Kolek and some others have a lot to prove before they get real minutes.
Hopefully, they'll earn them and be a staple moving forward.