All Hope Isn't Lost for Jose Alvarado Despite Knicks Demotion

For those who don’t know the reference, Wally Pipp was a star first baseman for the New York Yankees. He took a fastball in the head during batting practice and sat out that night's game with a headache. An unknown kid named Lou Gehrig took his place and went on to start 2,130 consecutive games, while Pipp never started another game for the Yankees.

After backing up Jalen Brunson in the first two regular-season games, Jose Alvarado tweaked his ankle and missed four games. Despite the six-year pro being back to good health, youngster Tyler Kolek is emerging as the second stringer. But he's certainly no Gehrig.

Injuries happen, and it’s a long regular season, especially coming off a run to the NBA Finals and playing into June. Head coach Mike Brown is open-minded enough to make sure everyone gets a piece of the pie, and he’s been adamant about things being fluid.

"I try not to take a guy out due to injury. The reality of it is that Jose got hurt. Tyler gave us some good minutes," Brown told SNY last week. "I sat 'em both down. I said Jose, you're our backup because you ended the season as our backup. Both of you guys gotta be ready; a change can happen at any time."

Mike Brown says he sat Jose Alvarado and Tyler Kolek down to discuss their playing time with the return of Alvarado

"Both of you guys helped us win last year. I feel like both of you guys can play and contribute at a high level so both you guys gotta be ready" pic.twitter.com/9big6vbE0H
— SNY Knicks (@sny_knicks) November 2, 2026

A change seemed to take place over the weekend in Cleveland, with Kolek seeing 14 minutes off the bench and Alvarado logging a DNP-CD after two ineffective games back in the rotation. Brown has said everyone on the bench is fighting for minutes, and he's simply riding the hot hand.

Through the early stages of his third NBA campaign, Kolek has impressed as a depth hand. He has 36 assists and just 4 turnovers, which has him leading the league in assist-to-turnover ratio (9.0). The 25-year-old needs to look for his shot more, but he's proven capable of running an NBA offense.

Kolek is showing that he belongs

Over the summer, Alvarado declined his $4.5 million player option and signed a new three-year, $14-plus million deal to return. Leon Rose made it a priority to retain the Brooklyn native, who played a key role on a historic championship team after being acquired from the Pelicans at the trade deadline.

While Kolek has earned his bump in minutes, Alvarado is still very important to this team. The feisty veteran will be deployed in games that make sense. At the start of the season, the Knicks' offense was stagnant, and the ball pops around with Kolek on the court.

With the Knicks still lacking depth up front and trade pieces, it's fair to wonder if this audition gives Kolek a chance to boost his stock around the league. His $2.3 million salary has value, plus he has a cheap team option for 2027-28.

New York Knicks head coach Mike Brown talks with guard Tyler Kolek (left) during a preseason game. — Tyler Kolek (left) is holding down the backup job for now. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Despite there being real evidence that Kolek has the skill set and moxie to hang in the Association, a team needs to be willing to entrust him to run their offense for 20+ minutes a night. That could change as he continues to show his growth and teams deal with injuries.

For example, the struggling Charlotte Hornets are lacking point guard depth and will be without their starter for a few weeks. Dennis Schroder was just diagnosed with a left hamstring strain and will be re-evaluated in two weeks. The Hornets employ two affordable young big men in Moussa Diabate and Ryan Kalkbrenner. Perhaps they're a trade partner down the line for the Knicks.

It's never a bad thing to have too much depth, and it's a luxury having the Marquette product as a third-stringer. For now, Kolek is the first point guard off the bench. However, that could very well change in the days ahead, and Alvarado is a long way away from being Wally Pipped.

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