The New York Knicks started their 2025-2026 campaign by falling 2-3. A loss to the lowly Chicago Bulls dropped them below .500. A year later, the Knicks are back at 2-3 in their first five games, but that came after a Bulls win this time. Same record, but they got there a different way.

Of course, the Knicks very well could have lost that Chicago game this time around. Jalen Brunson will get all the love for his 38-point game, which was pivotal in New York overcoming a 19-point deficit, but don't forget to give some love to one of the night's unsung heroes, Tyler Kolek, who has shown some promising things since the preseason, is showing this year could mark a leap in his development.

Of course, Kolek's production has come while veteran and main backup PG Jose Alvarado has been out injured. But the third-year man's performances as of late aren't just good as an emergency fill-in; they're good enough to wonder if Alvarado's outright claim to the backup gig is gone.

Tyler Kolek is truly giving Jose Alvarado a run for his money as Knicks' main backup point guard

Were it not for an ankle injury to Alvarado, which has kept the reserve point guard on the shelf for the last three games, Kolek probably wouldn't be getting the minutes he has.

Call it a blessing in disguise because his presence has been felt, and for the most part, it has been as a passer. But he also showed a different level to his game on the back end of a back-to-back.

In his first game, Kolek had nine assists and zero turnovers but didn't score. In his second game, he had an electric behind-the-back pass to KAT, which became one of the biggest highlights of the NBA season so far.

Even more, his shooting in that latter contest gave Mike Brown a more complete glimpse of the young reserve option who, at one point in the parade last year, was mistaken for a fan and was nearly ushered off the parade route by an officer in the NYPD. Nobody in Chicago would mistake him for anything less than a pro, though.

Coach Brown had Kolek on the floor for 18 minutes. He went 3-for-4 from the field. All three makes were from behind the arc. Kolek also had another nine assists, two rebounds, and was a +13 on the floor for the night. It was the second-highest +/- right behind fellow benchmate Jordan Clarkson, who had 15.

Clarkson probably had the more dynamic night of the two, but without Kolek, they probably don't overcome their 19-point deficit and fall to 1-4, which is not where you want to be as the defending champs. Instead of falling further, the Knicks salvaged their early season, winning two straight—both in back-to-back games, no less.

Coach Brown gave Kolek an incremental uptick in minutes from his first start. In his first game, he had 15. In his game against the Bulls, the Michael Jordan of Rhode Island saw 18 and looked stellar as a shooter.

Since Alvarado has already missed the last three games, if the Knicks are still on the fence about playing him, they probably feel better with Kolek out there.

Everybody knows how good of a passer Kolek is. His defense is solid, too. If he can shoot the way he did during that Bulls comeback, it wouldn't be the worst thing for Kolek to get another uptick in minutes. Eighteen can become 20, if he continues to build that trust. It's still too early to start thinking about having Kolek Wally Pipp Alvarado on the depth chart, but so far so good.

Kolek may not have known what his role would be heading into the year. That doesn't seem to be an issue, and everybody knows that in case of emergency, break the glass and put Kolek in. That wasn't more evident last year than when he pulled doubled duties, playing in a G League game and also coming into a game at the Garden.

Alvarado's re-signing may have complicated Kolek's playing time a bit. Who knows if the Knicks will even extend him since the organization put a kibosh on all extension talks, but for now, Kolek has proven himself after being thrust into a bigger role.