Marquette Golden Eagles point guard Tyler Kolek has yet to declare for the 2024 NBA Draft, but he will probably do so. Kolek just completed his senior basketball season with Marquette and is one of the best players that has come through the program.
Over the course of the season, he played in 31 games and missed some games due to an oblique injury. Kolek averaged 15.3 PPG, 4.9 RPG, 7.7 APG, 0.2 BPG, and 1.6 SPG. He shot 49.6% from the field, 38.8% from three-point land, and also shot 85.1% from the free-throw line.
In the latest NBA Mock Draft on CBS Sports that happened right after the NCAA National Championship Game between the Purdue Boilermakers and the UCONN Huskies, Kolek is projected to be the 27th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft by the Utah Jazz (from the Oklahoma City Thunder).
Kyle Boone of CBS Sports had his reasoning as to why he has Kolek going to the Jazz at this pick by writing:
“Coming back from an oblique injury, Kolek returned to his regular self in a big NCAA Tournament run for Marquette that ended in the Sweet 16. He averaged 18.7 points and 8.3 assists per game in the Big Dance and showed off the passing instincts and scoring that made him the most exciting point guard in the sport this season.”
Marquette lost to the North Carolina State Wolfpack in the Sweet 16 which ended their chance of a Final Four run. They have not been there in over 20 years.
Marquette Golden Eagles Tyler Kolek Will Be Somewhere Between a Late First Round Pick To an Early Second Round Pick in the 2024 NBA Draft
It appears as if mock drafts have Kolek as either a late first-round pick or an early second-round pick. Tyler Kolek started over the last couple of seasons at Marquette. He was on the All-Big East first team in 2022-2023 and in 2023-2024. Kolek was named the Big East Player of the Year in 2022-2023.
He helped the Golden Eagles get a two-seed in the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons for Shaka Smart’s squad. The basketball program will miss him, but an NBA team will be happy to have him as a potentially serviceable backup point guard at the next level.
According to CBS Sports, Kolek is the 35th-ranked overall prospect in the 2024 NBA Draft and is the ninth overall point guard in this class. Many people view this as a weak NBA Draft class. Tyler Kolek was also a leader for the Marquette Golden Eagles.
