The Trail Blazers selected Tyler Kolek with the No. 34 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.
Kolek began his collegiate career at George Mason, where he spent one season. He spent the next three seasons at Marquette and enjoyed a breakout 2023-24 campaign. Last season, Kolek averaged 15.3 points, 4.9 boards, 7.7 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.5 triples. Those numbers were good enough to earn Big East Player of the Year honors. Kolek shot 38.8% from beyond the arc as a senior, and he knocked down 35.5% of his three-pointers across his four-year collegiate career. Kolek is a solid shooter, passer, and defender who should make an instant impact off the bench for [team that drafts him]. If given enough rotational minutes, he could be a deep-league option for fantasy managers. While he was drafted by Portland, Kolek is headed to New York via trade. He’ll certainly be familiar with his new home arena (Madison Square Garden hosts the Big East tournament), and the former Marquette star will play on a team with championship aspirations. If New York were to move Miles McBride for cap space reasons, Kolek could be asked to slide into the backup point guard role immediately.
