Knicks PG One to Watch in Summer League

New York Knicks point guard Tyler Kolek is in Sin City for a second run at the Las Vegas Summer League.

Kolek flashed some potential during last year's Summer League run, but now it's time to show some growth.

The Athletic insider James Edwards III highlighted Kolek's impact for the Knicks Summer League team.

"In Las Vegas, I want to see Kolek create and hunt his own shot. I know he can pass and do point-guard things. In today’s NBA, it’s hard to be successful as a lead guard without being a threat to score. Kolek’s 70 assists as a rookie was only slightly under the number of shot attempts he took (82). In college, Kolek averaged a hair over 15 points as a senior. He took over 11 shots per game while still averaging nearly eight assists. He has that balance somewhere in there," Edwards wrote.

"It’s possible that Kolek’s lack of shot attempts last season was a product of doing what the coaching staff asked of him. It’s also possible that the rookie just didn’t want to use his limited playing time to be ultra-aggressive as a scorer and, potentially, upset his coach. Well, summer league is the time to try things out, get comfortable and see what you can get away with."

It remains to be seen how much the Knicks will feature Kolek in Vegas, but there's reason to believe he will have a key role for as long as the team keeps him out on the floor.

Kolek averaged just two points per game in 41 appearances for the Knicks in his rookie year, but with notorious first-year foe Tom Thibodeau out as head coach, the former Marquette guard could find more playing time in his second year — especially if he performs well in Vegas.