Tyler Kolek is four wins away from an NBA championship as the New York Knicks open the Finals against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night. Game 1 tips off at 7:30 p.m. CT in San Antonio, and for Kolek it puts him on the edge of a title in his first pro season with a team chasing its first crown in more than 50 years.
That is why his name is drawing attention now. The former Marquette guard was selected 34th overall in the 2024 NBA Draft by the Knicks after a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers, and he has arrived at this stage with a role that has not always been steady. His minutes have fluctuated through the year, yet he still helped close out Cleveland in Game 4, tying a career playoff high with 8 points in the clincher at Rocket Arena last Monday.
For Lynn Kolek, the run has already felt familiar in one important way. She said the Eastern Conference championship celebration brought her back to Marquette's Big East tournament days at Madison Square Garden, with the confetti and noise making her think of what that kind of moment feels like. She said Tyler has worked hard and is ready for every chance he gets on the floor, a view that matches the way Shaka Smart has long described him. The Marquette coach called Kolek a winner and said it is cool to see him with a team that is on the precipice of winning the whole thing.
There is still a practical question hanging over the series, though: how much Kolek will actually play in the Finals. He has reached this point with a path that has stretched from Rhode Island to New York and through Milwaukee, which his mother said is as much his home as the other places tied to his career. That homecoming will become more tangible when the series shifts to Madison Square Garden, where Lynn Kolek said she and Tyler's dad will be in the building for Games 3 and 4. For a player whose time has come and gone in stretches all season, the next stop is simple enough — keep the seat warm, because the Finals are here now.
