How to assess Tom Thibodeau
Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau is now in his third season at the helm of the premier New York organization, and fans have soured on him rather quickly.
The gritty, raspy-voiced coach entered New York and brought the Knicks something they have not felt since the presence of Mike D’Antoni or perhaps his successor Mike Woodson in the early 2010s era of Knicks basketball, which is stability at the helm.
“Thibs” brought in his typical intense defensive scheme and short rotations that focused on not being shy to apply pressure on the ball at all times, clogging the passing lanes, and playing his starters for around 37 minutes a game.
As dreadful as this sounds to be a part of from a fan’s standpoint, this allowed the Knicks to find an identity as the team that has no quit, a perfect identity that aligns with the values of New York City and its people. Coach Thibs’ inaugural season was a true success finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference with a record of 41-31, aiding the breakouts of Second-Team All-NBA forward Julius Randle and former top-three pick R.J. Barrett.
Entering the second season with Thibodeau, there were high hopes and understandingly just as high hopes for the Knicks to build on their previous positive season. The Knicks did not change much from year-to-year. The team had the same intensity, defensive scheme, rotation length, and starter usage. And, as Thibs lacked adjustment, other teams certainly seemed to have it in tenfold, seeming especially apparent playing against the Knicks. It appeared as if the Knicks’ code was cracked.
Randle, who was dominant the year prior, was now the focal point of the opposing team’s defense which hampered his own and the team’s success. The Knicks finished the season at a disappointing 37-45 and 11th in the Eastern Conference, with fans starting to wonder if Thibodeau was the right man to lead the team.
In the third year of the Tom Thibodeau experience, a lot has stayed the same. Same everything. The only changes made were the off-season acquisitions of point guard Jalen Brunson and center Isaiah Hartenstein who were just plugged into the rotation, replacing and becoming the upgrades from Alec Burks (who, for some reason, logged the most minutes at point guard) and Taj Gibson (who at age 36 was still logging significant minutes.)
Due to the acquisitions made being better fits for the team (and better players) and the development of the already young roster, the Knicks are a better team than last year, who now boast a 26-23 record, which as of now sits New York at seventh in the East. Although the team is better, watching them on a night-to-night basis is frustrating because you see this roster’s potential, but there seems to be something holding them back.
That something is Tom Thibodeau. His stubbornness with how he coaches puts a cap on his team’s success, and he appears to be satisfied with mediocrity, which I, for one, am not okay with.
If the Knicks find themselves on the cusp of the play-in or even fail to make the play-in, I would expect Tom Thibodeau to be firmly on the hot seat entering the off-season. However, Coach Thibs has many fans within the organization that could buy him yet another year to prove if he is just a one-hit wonder or the coach that can and will lead the Knicks to another playoff series.
