Overview
- In a 126-124 Christmas win over the Cavaliers, Kolek delivered 16 points and nine assists off the bench with 11 in the fourth quarter, hitting 4-of-5 from three and posting a team-best +24.
- His rise followed a halftime dressing-down from Mike Brown in Minnesota that preceded a 20-point, 11-rebound, eight-assist response, according to SNY’s reporting.
- Kolek publicly praised Brown’s approach, saying he “coaches me hard” and that a point guard is “an extension of the coach.”
- Over the past five games, he has averaged 12.0 points, 6.6 assists and 5.2 rebounds in 23.8 minutes, reinforcing that this is a trend rather than a one-off.
- Multiple outlets report the surge could reduce urgency to trade for an external backup guard, as injuries to Miles McBride and Landry Shamet created the opening and Kolek seized the role.