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Knicks fans, we just got some breaking news on Deuce McBride's injury and it could mean big changes for the Knicks rotation
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According to CP the franchise of Knicks Fan TV, Deuce is expected to miss multiple games with his groin strain and you know what that means
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Tyler Kolick, the third string point guard who's barely played this season, just got his chance and he did not disappoint
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In New York's dominant win over the Wizards, Kolick saw extended minutes for the first time and man this kid looked ready
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Tom Thibodeau even said after the game that he was very pleased with Kolic's play
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So now the question is, with McBride out for the foreseeable future
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could Kolic force his way into more playing time? Let's break it all down
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So let's start with the news. Deuce McBride's groin strain. He missed this game and according to CP the franchise
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the expectation is that he's going to be out for multiple games. Now we all know groin injuries can linger and with how crucial McBride has been to this team
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the Knicks are going to be careful. But this also opens the door for someone to step up in his absence
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Enter Tyler Kolek. The Knicks signed Kolek to a 4-year rookie deal after his incredible run at Marquette
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where he was one of the best floor generals in college basketball. But up until now, he's been strictly a situational guy
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Third string, barely playing. That changed against Washington last night. Campaign got the start but Kolek got his shot off the bench and he made the most of it
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His feel for the game was on full display, running the offense, making smart passes, playing with confidence
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And let be real the Knicks bench has been struggling badly With Deuce out and guys like Shamit and Achua not giving the team as much as we need Tibbs needed someone to step up And Kolek showed flashes that maybe just maybe he could help stabilize the second unit Now obviously it just one game against the Wizards out of all teams not exactly a playoff
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level defense. But what if he keeps playing like this? If he builds momentum over the next few
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games, does he start cutting into one of the bench guys minutes? It's an interesting situation
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because on one hand, Deuce and Cam have been great for the Knicks all season, the defense
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energy and shot making have been huge but on the other hand if Kolek keeps proving that he's a
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natural playmaker, something the second unit desperately needs, how does Tibbs ignore that
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At the very least this is now something to watch. The Knicks need bench production and Kolek might
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be playing himself into a legit role either this rest of the season or next season. What do you
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guys think? Should Kolek continue to get minutes even when McBride returns or is this just a
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temporary fill-in situation until Deuce is back. All that I will say is as long as Tibbs is the
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coach, he will be against playing rookie players. And I think we could all agree that Tom Thibodeau
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will continue playing campaign since he's a veteran player. It took Rick Brunson to come
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over to Tibbs and convince him to play the reserve guys like Marjan Bochamp and Anton Watson in the
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final minutes of the game. But I believe that Tyler Kolek and Kevin McCullough Jr. as well as
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Ariel Hukporti will get a good shot at the rotation minutes next season. Because the way
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the Knicks are structured for the next few seasons financially, they need their rookies to produce
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So with all that being said, let me know in the comment section down below what you guys think of
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the situation. Do you think Kolic should play or will he probably get his opportunity next season
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And don't forget to hit that like button and subscribe to the channel for more Knicks news
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and updates you won't want to miss. It's been KNYT here and I'll see you guys in the next one
