Tyler Kolek, a talented player from Marquette University and a native of Cumberland, was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the draft on Thursday. Tyler Kolek, a 23-year-old guard from Marquette University, was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round of the 2024 NBA lottery. However, he was instantly transferred to the New York Knicks in return for many second-round picks.
He began his journey from Cumberland, Rhode Island, and gradually progressed to become a Two-time Consensus All-American. He has now completed the last stage in his journey towards becoming a professional.
Kolek excelled with the Golden Eagles, progressively increasing his scoring average in each season he played with the squad. The selection generated enthusiasm among Knicks supporters. Kolek was regarded as a potential pick in the middle to late first round during the pre-draft evaluation period. This was primarily because of his impressive performance in his final year of college, where he topped the nation with an average of 7.7 assists per game and also scored an average of 15.3 points per game.
However, his mediocre physical features caused him to be selected in the second round. The Knicks recognized the worth of Kolek’s exceptional basketball intelligence and his proficiency in executing an NBA-style approach. Consequently, he now gets the privilege of acquiring knowledge from the Knicks’ current point guard, Jalen Brunson. Knicks fans have shown enthusiasm regarding the team’s choice to trade up and pick Kolek in the draft
