Tyler Kolek’s breakout has been real. It's also been complicated. The New York Knicks have spent the last few weeks watching the second-year guard flash confidence, poise, and playmaking chops. These weren't always visible earlier in the season or last year, but he's been developing.
The problem for the Knicks is that even amid his best stretch as a pro, the biggest concern that followed Kolek into the league has not gone away. He has yet to show that he can be consistently accurate from beyond the arc. For a team with championship aspirations and a head coach in Mike Brown who speaks often of their spacing principles, that matters a ton.