New York Knicks guard Tyler Kolek participated in the Reddit AMA ahead of the Emirates NBA Cup championship game.
Ahead of Tuesday’s Emirates NBA Cup Championship game (8:30 ET, Prime Video), the NBA conducted an AMA with New York’s Tyler Kolek and San Antonio’s Harrison Barnes in the NBA reddit community (r/nba).
From their thoughts on the NBA Emirates Cup and this season so far, check out their answers below.
QUESTION: Do you see Spurs vs. Thunder as the next great rivalry in the NBA? If so, why? What makes a good rivalry and how do you know when you have one?
HARRISON BARNES (San Antonio Spurs): I think it’s great. I think it’s great for the fans and great for the teams. Obviously, there is a lot of young talent on both ends of the floor. A lot of guys who are either extremely accomplished or coming into their primes, so I think it’s going to be a matchup for years to come that is going to be very good.
What player doesn’t get enough love on a national stage that you would like to shout out for what they do for the team?
TYLER KOLEK (New York Knicks): I would probably say Mitch Robinson. He is definitely a guy that I feel like people should be showing more love. When you go into the nitty-gritty, I know everybody goes “Hack-a-Mitch”, whatever it is, but his offensive rebounding percentage is unbelievable. He gets us second-chance points, he anchors us on defense, and he just does all those little things that we really need. The best teams in the league have those guys do all that dirty work, and he’s one of those guys who needs to be appreciated.
BARNES: Shoutout Luke Kornet. I think to be able to come in this season and play behind Victor to start, and then Vic goes down, and he has stepped up for us. Held down the paint, has been great, and just doing all the little things. Always been consistent every single day. On and off the court, Luke has been great.
What’s a singer/rapper/band you listen to that you think no one else does?
KOLEK: I would say I am pretty mainstream. I went to Zach Bryan, but that’s pretty mainstream. I don’t have anybody down in the weeds. I don’t have any “Reddit-pulls.” I don’t know if I have any of those. I keep it mainstream. Drake, J-Cole, Rod Wave.
BARNES: I listen to a lot of Reggaeton, I am a huge Manuel Turizo. I get to play him some in the locker room and at practice. He is probably one of my favorites right now.
How has Las Vegas been as a host city for the final stages?
BARNES: Vegas has been great. I think to be here, and obviously, the NBA and Vegas are synonymous, right? Summer League, USA Basketball, a bunch of different things that come through here. To have the opportunity, this is the first time being in Vegas for the NBA Cup. I lost in the Quarterfinals before, so hopefully I’ll be able to finish this thing off right.
The pressure faced and intensity during the NBA Cup Knockout Rounds: is it similar to a home game, a road game or a playoff game?
KOLEK: Definitely simulates the playoffs. Obviously not to that level, but any win-or-go-home tournament, any one single game elimination definitely has a different feel to it. In the regular season, you are playing a game every night, every other night, every third night, and get caught in the shuffle of things, but you’re playing for something meaningful here, playing for that pride.
BARNES: I think the Emirates NBA Cup is unique. Just because in all of these games, we have had a lot of different lineups that have played. We have gone against big teams, and I think for us as a young group, it’s allowed us to establish ourselves and play meaningful games during the regular season. I have loved the experience so far, I kind of think it is its own unique thing. I don’t know if it’s one thing or the other, but it has been fun.
Can you give us a sense of the spectrum of offseason work ethic that players have? For example, a role player who is trying to solidify their spot on a team and knows they gotta work on their catch and shoot 3’s. How many makes are they making in a summer offseason?
KOLEK: I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily a make-per-day type of thing. It’s kind of what you want to accomplish on that day. For me, I was going Monday and Tuesday twice a day, plus lift. Wednesday once, maybe a recovery session lift. Thursday and Friday twice, and you know, depending on what that week looks like, the fatigue level, maybe Saturday I would get some spot shots, and Sunday off. Or maybe if I went really hard that week, Saturday and Sunday off because recovery is just as important as getting your work in, cause you want to be fresh and 110% ready to go every time you step onto the floor, and you can’t be working out at 70-80-90% capacity. You want to go 100% all the time because that is what is going to get you better.
BARNES: I mean, the offseason is different. I think the big thing I try to do is try to mix in variability workouts. More reads, less just “try to get up X amount of shots made”. More “How can I put myself in situations where I am challenged and have to think?”
What is your favorite movie and TV show?
KOLEK: I really like the Marvel stuff, for movies. I am excited for Doomsday to come out, and was just doomscrolling on TikTok with some fan theories of the movie. For TV, I have been watching Breaking Bad and am now on Better Call Saul.
BARNES: My favorite movie, there’s a couple. The Shawshank Redemption and Inception. Those are Top 2. Favorite TV Show? All-time? That is tough. Breaking Bad is up there. I love Peaky Blinders. Boardwalk Empire is also a classic one I love.
Tyler, as you have rightfully earned your spot in the Knicks rotation, which player has taught you the most on the Knicks and how have they helped?
KOLEK: I wouldn’t say it’s one specific guy that teaches me the most. I pick and choose different things from everybody. Obviously, Jalen, we both are point guards, we both have the ball in our hands a lot. Being able to watch him and learn from him and pick his brain has been great for me. Mikal on the defensive side, he is one of the best defenders in this league. Guarding the point of attack, guarding the ball, being the head of a snake on that end. Trying to pick up any little thing I can from him, obviously, he is a different size and stature, but the little tips that the typical fan or player might not see. It’s a feel thing and little tricks of the trade.
Harrison, the Spurs have so many fun, creative nicknames. What are some of your favorites and how did they come to be?
BARNES: “French Vanilla” was definitely one of the best ones. Vic and Luke. I think that one came from an Instagram account. The funniest, more recent one that came out is “Pineapple Express”, which is hilarious. Devin and Steph. White Castle is a good one, too.
How do you physically prepare for long road trips, especially if you cross multiple time zones? I think I read the Spurs have been in 10 states since Thanksgiving and that sounds insane
BARNES: Yeah, the season is super long. So I think the idea of having a marathon approach to it, just in terms of recovery, training, and all the things to keep your mind fresh, engaged, and locked in. Knowing that you want to try to be as consistent as possible, but variability is going to be helpful in terms of keeping things fresh.
Biggest culture shock moving to San Antonio/New York?
KOLEK: I would say the time of day that people do things. You are going to dinner at 11:00, hanging out with friends at midnight or 1. It’s late, your time schedule is going to be pushed back in the day.
This is a question for players who are extremely family oriented. How do you mentally prepare and keep motivated while away from your families for so long ? I’m away from my family maybe 1-2 days out of the week and I can barely focus on those days, I can only imagine what it’s like going for possibly weeks like y’all do.
BARNES: I am fortunate. My family is big basketball fans. They come on the road, meet in different cities, and things like that. I think having that broad base community support, just as you go around in this league, I think has been great. Obviously, there is more basketball behind you than in front of you, but however long we continue to play, I look forward to sharing those experiences with the people I love.
