Knicks pleased with Tyler Kolek’s development: ‘He’s a worker’

Tom Thibodeau in recent years has slowly eased young players such as Miles McBride and since-traded Quentin Grimes into the Knicks rotation.

With veteran guard Cam Payne missing his third straight game Friday night, rookie guard Tyler Kolek was pressed into an expanded role and responded well.

The second-round pick out of Marquette played a season-high 16 minutes and scored eight points on 3-for-5 shooting, with two made 3-pointers, four rebounds, two assists and one steal.

“Each day he gets better,” Thibodeau said. “He’s got a great feel for the game, and he’s a worker. He’s still learning the league and he’ll get better and better, with understanding what’s happening with defenses and also as he becomes more familiar with the people that he’s guarding and the teams.

“I think each time out, you can see his confidence growing. We have a lot of confidence in him, and I see it every day. Usually it starts in practice, and if you practice well, you usually play well.”

Added starting point guard Jalen Brunson: “I talk to Tyler every day. I like Tyler, just watching him work hard every single chance he gets, it’s something that gets me excited about his future.”