Tom Thibodeau has established a culture.
The Knicks head coach was rewarded for his efforts with a three-year contract extension this week that will keep him with the club through the 2027-28 season. The extension comes after leading New York to its first 50-win season in 11 years. Under Thibodeau, the Knicks have advanced past the first round in consecutive seasons for the first time in about a quarter century.
The book has been out on Thibodeau from his previous stops with the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves. Common thoughts about the coach include that he can instantly improve a team in the win column. He also usually gets the most out of his players. But he sometimes over-relies on veterans to carry a team, doesn’t develop younger players, and isn’t the most flexible in terms of in-game or in-season adjustments.
With all of that being said, in four years Thibodeau has taken the Knicks from ineptitude to respectability. Thibodeau’s ability to get the most out of players has stood out. Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle evolved into All-Stars and All-NBA performers. Donte DiVincenzo became one of the best three-point shooters in the NBA last season, and Isaiah Hartenstein transformed into one of the best two-way bigs before departing in free agency to the Oklahoma City Thunder this summer.
Tactical moves
Though lack of adjustments have been a criticism for Thibodeau at times in his career, he deserves credit for some schematic decisions he’s made in the past couple of years. Over time he’s modernized the Knicks offense. In his first season as coach, New York was 24th in three-point attempt rate per Basketball Reference. Since then, the Knicks have finished seventh, 10th and 11th in the category the last three years.
In the first round of the 2023 playoffs, Thibodeau made the adjustment of having wings like Josh Hart and RJ Barrett set screens for Brunson after the Cleveland Cavaliers began trapping the guard when center Mitchell Robinson was the screener. Though it took some time this season, Thibodeau finally began to trust Hartenstein as a playmaker out of the short roll.
In this year’s…
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