Tyler Kolek continues to be a crucial cog for the New York Knicks and he might have cemented his place in the team for clutch time with his incredible play against Donovan Mitchell on Christmas Day.
Knicks won against the Cleveland Cavaliers in a game that was not decided until the last shot clock. Huge reason behind this victory is Kolek’s block on Mitchell during as fastbreak play with under two minutes to go. Cleveland were leading by one-point and a field goal would have given them a more comfortable lead.
Mitchell was ahead of everyone until he was not. The Marquette Golden Eagles standout would not let it go easy. He chased the Cavs star with all his might, found the perfect place to slap the ball but the more crucial moment was when Mitchell slowed down to create a highlight play.
TYLER KOLEK CHASEDOWN BLOCK ON DONOVAN MITCHELL pic.twitter.com/vPRrFj3r5G
— New York Basketball (@NBA_NewYork) December 25, 2025
Quick-thinking Kolek found it a perfect opportunity for the stop. Talking to reporters post-game, the second year guard said that is where Mitchell went wrong.
“We always talk about next-play speed and I saw him running and honestly if he ran and just did a regular layup, I wouldn’t have caught up to him,” Kolek said about the play. “But he wanted to do some windmill s***.
“He slowed down. He was trying to do something crazy.”
The play was initially called a foul but Knicks called for a review and the officials overturned it into a clean block.
Tyler Kolek credits Mike Brown for performances
From being in trade rumors to becoming Brown’s extension on the floor. That’s the leap Kolek has made this month.
The 24-year-old guard said it is something his coach personally tasked him to do.
“He coaches me hard. You want a head coach that’s on you – if he’s not, that’s more of a problem than the other way around,” Kolek said of Brown.
“When you’re a point guard, you’re an extension of the coach. If he’s trying to get his message across, he’s going to say it to you. Maybe he didn’t mean it at you, but he’s trying to get it across to everyone on the team.”
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