Metropolitan sports fans may not like this — especially when it comes to the gridiron’s blue contingent — but the New York Knicks’ fall fortunes could rest on an Eagle.

A 4-5 record in the NBA is far from the NFL’s disaster, but each Knicks effort brings the franchise closer to a worrying new normal if planned outbursts don’t happen.

Its most recent showing being a 132-121 loss to the Indiana PacersNew York looked awfully mediocre during a tough week. While other East Contenders garnered negative headlines, the Knicks lost three of four after going through a brutal opening period that saw them face each of their brethren in the conference semifinals at the last spring.

The most frustrating thing about the Knicks’ early misfortunes is that none of them are instantly fixable and the solutions rely largely on patience and guesswork: Precious Achiuwa, Cameron Payne and Mitchell Robinson will eventually be back. A team that has just four players on its 2023 Opening Day roster is more than capable of generating chemistry.

Other ideas stare the Knicks in the face but they avoid eye contact, even though Tyler Kolek was impossible to ignore.

Kolek was one of the more intriguing selections in the NBA’s new second day of draft last June: New York moved up a few floors in the draft elevator to secure his services, which were good enough to win a plethora of individual honors at the Big East level during his time at Marquette.

Undersized and dealing with a late oblique injury, it was clear that Kolek was a draft pick, more likely destined for an impact with the Westchester Knicks rather than Manhattan. Kolek’s selectionHowever, was an intriguing change in the direction of the draft for the Knicks.

This was a luxury draft, in which the Knicks embraced the idea of ​​getting the so-called best player available rather than addressing a pressing need. Kolek’s arrival was a reward of sorts after the Knicks agreed to previous drafts as spectators and dealmakers. Of course, it was understood that Kolek would always be a draft pick, but he was someone who fit the Knicks’ needs, now and later.

So why don’t the Knicks trust Kolek now?

Kolek has responded more or less well to the limited challenges the Knicks have given him thus far: he’s shooting over 69 percent from the field, posted an offensive rating of 135, and is averaging around 30 points per game for 100 possessions. Most of that work has been spent cleaning up, but Kolek has been a de facto replacement for Payne as he deals with hamstring issues.

Still, there’s a reluctance to use Kolek that bites the Knicks early on: He got 16 minutes in Friday’s win over Milwaukee, but that was followed by two minutes in the aforementioned loss to the Pacers. The Knicks played eight men total in Sunday’s loss: Indiana, on the other hand, played nine men with at least some minutes…and that was with veteran depth stars like Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith and Obi Toppin sidelined.

No one said Kolek was going to be an integral part of the Knicks’ rotation and it’s only fair to push him back into student mode once New York gets its full contingent back. Kolek made it clear he was willing to take on such an assignment, knowing that a year spent watching Jalen Brunson might carry more weight than nights in White Plains.

For now though, the Knicks need Kolek on the court and should gladly accept him. An instant test would prove beneficial to what the Knicks are trying to build and help them move closer to a relatively monumental goal.

New York is already losing ground in the premature race for first place in the Eastern Conference standings. It certainly helps that everyone beyond Cleveland and Boston is aggressively mediocre early on, but it would have been wise for the Knicks to improve their position in the East.

Despite last season’s second-place finish, few, if any, thought they posed a formidable challenge to the eventual Beantown champions after finishing 14 games behind them. Yes, the NBA season is a long marathon, but a team like the modern Knicks needs to rack up as many wins as possible if they plan to make major statements on the NBA bulletin.

With that in mind, the Knicks opted for a gamble on newfound familiarity: the “Nova Knicks” arc was partly abandoned and they also tried to stockpile former Phoenix Suns like Payne, Mikal Bridges, Marcus Morris and Landry Shamet . The trade for Karl-Anthony Towns shook things up as the Knicks attempted to rely solely on star power. Towns has responded to his own challenges, but the holdovers need to step up. Kolek did it from the start and it’s time he was rewarded for it.

That aside, why not embrace relative, productive unpredictability like Kolek’s?

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