Timberwolves’ regret grows as Tyler Kolek breaks out

The NBA Christmas Day games started with a bang as the New York Knicks defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 126-124. The lasting impression on me, and I’m sure many viewers, was Tyler Kolek, who scored 16 points and nine assists, including 11 points in the fourth quarter.

This is not the first time that Kolek has done well at the national level, as a few weeks ago he scored fourteen points and five assists in the NBA Cup final. In December, the second-year guard is averaging 7.7 points, 4.4 assists and 3.3 rebounds on 50.7/39.3/100 shooting splits. Timberwolves fans got an up-close look at Kolek’s impressive skills this week as he dropped 20 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists without Jalen Brunson in Minnesota.

Every time I look at Kolek, I can’t help but think, man, he would be perfect on a Minnesota Timberwolves team that desperately needs a point guard. As the 34th pick in the 2024 draft, Kolek could have easily ended up in Minnesota. Notably, they chose Terrence Shannon Jr. with the 27th overall pick.

I’m not going to pretend that I would be a perfect general manager. Like most people, my unofficial track record on draft prospects has as many hits as misses. At the time I thought Shannon was a huge steal, and I still believe in him. I also understand that trading for Rob Dillingham made drafting two point guards unlikely.

Regardless, if the Wolves hadn’t traded for Dillingham, Kolek would certainly have been playing at the No. 27 spot. So far in their young careers, Kolek has been much better than Shannon and Dillingham. Honestly, it shouldn’t be shocking that Kolek is making an immediate impact.

Tyler Kolek would be a perfect fit for the Wolves

When I think of the skills Minnesota could use from their point guard, Kolek checks all the boxes. First, he is a fantastic playmaker with an incredible basketball IQ. Kolek ranks in the 90th percentile with an absurd help rate of 31.6 and the 98th percentile for help-to-use ratio according to Cleaning the Glass. Likewise, he has a great assist-to-turnover ratio of 3.08.

Kolek can orchestrate an offense like a traditional point guard, and he rarely makes mistakes, something that is becoming rare in the modern NBA. Honestly, this aspect of his game reminds me a lot of Mike Conley in the best possible way.

In addition to his impressive play, Kolek can also generate rim pressure, something the Wolves’ perimeter players cannot do. Notably, Kolek is shooting 69 percent at the rim, which ranks 72nd for his position according to Databallr. Kolek can cut through opposing defenses and is an extremely cunning ball handler. The Marquette product may not be a dynamic finisher, but Kolek is very effective.

Kolek is a career 32 percent 3-point shooter, so there are still valid questions about his offside. He may never be a true sniper, but I could see him as a quality outside shooter.

As someone who has been following Kolek since high school (shoutout St. George’s prep), I have learned to expect the unexpected with Kolek. Within three years, he went from playing at George Mason to being the best point guard in the country. You simply cannot set boundaries with this man. Despite being an older second-year player (24), Kolek still has room to grow.