Knicks' Kolek-Alvarado Competition Has Taken a Major New Turn

A new twist on the bench.

Oct 12, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks point guard Tyler Kolek (13) dribbles up court. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Even when Jose Alvarado went down with an injury ankle, the initial consensus was the backup point guard gig was still his job to lose once he returned. Tyler Kolek, and apparently Mike Brown, had other thoughts.

During Alvarado’s short, but now seemingly impactful absence, Kolek played surprisingly well. He did struggle defensively and from the field against the 76ers last Friday. But outside of that, he held his own defensively and ran a much more efficient and effective offense

Wednesday marked Alvarado's second game back from injury, but it came with a significant change: It was Kolek who first heard his name called off of the bench, not the veteran. While it could just be a one-game curveball thrown by Brown to keep the Bulls on their toes in their rematch, it also signals this competition is changing before our very eyes.

Tyler Kolek is no longer just a potential threat to Jose Alvarado for Knicks backup PG job

Alvarado was given the opportunity to retake the job on Monday against the Nets. In the first half, when Brunson usually gets his first break, it was Alvarado, not Kolek, that had his name called like usual. But he was not particularly impressive.

The Knicks entered the fourth quarter trailing the Nets. A loss to a significantly inferior Nets team to go 2-5 would have been a pretty tough pill to swallow. With Brunson getting his usual rest, this time, Brown went with Kolek. And the third-year point guard delivered.

While he finished the night with just two points, one rebound, and one assist on 1-3 shooting, he was a +13 in just five minutes and was, along with Miles McBride and Jordan Clarkson, a major catalyst for the Knicks coming back and ultimately winning the game.

Alvarado was definitely one of the few losers from the Knicks’ win. But he was still the veteran with a longer track record. Maybe it was Brown just doing what he does best-pressing the right buttons. What we saw on Wednesday night against the Bulls suggests that it might be more than that, though.

Mike Brown on going with Tyler Kolek ahead of Jose Alvarado tonight:

“I said this before, every position coming off the bench is a competition, all the time. Nobody’s minutes are set in stone. …Jose had the first opportunity in our last game. And then I gave Tyler an…

— Jared Schwartz (@jschwartz115) November 5, 2026

Alvarado didn’t get off the bench until late in the game as Kolek was the first and only reserve point guard whose name was called in the first half. The former Marquette guard didn’t score in his 11 minutes, but did dish out five more assists without committing a single turnover.

When Alvarado did finally enter the game, he recorded even less. He was 0-4 from the field, and committed two turnovers while dishing out just two assists. Alvarado, at times, looked like a player who knows his chance to win back his job is slipping away. Add on the fact that he is coming off of an ankle injury and was playing in a faster-paced portion of game that was well out of reach, and it made for a pretty subpar performance.

Now, Brown will likely tell you that this is a fluid situation. Wednesday looked like strong evidence that Kolek is now the official backup point guard. But maybe the Knicks are just bringing the previously injured Alvarado along slowly. Or, maybe it’s just going to be more of about who has the hot hand and how the matchups look.

The Knicks coach has repeatedly spoken both glowingly and openly in the past about just how much confidence he has in both of these players. And if Alvarado could “lose” his job this easily, chances are, so could Kolek. If the latter has to miss a few games or gets burned defensively, Alvarado suddenly becomes a very appealing option again.

Regardless, New York has the enviable problem of having two very solid reserves point guards that offer very different things. And while it may be a frustrating and stressful situation for the players involved, this also gives the Knicks the option of trading away one of them, or even Miles McBride.

Brown’s rotations early on this season still seem to be somewhat in flux as the defending champions try to balance winning now and developing some of their younger guys, so this should be one of the key storylines to keep an eye on going forward.

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