Thibs won’t be pegged just ‘D’ wiz
Tom Thibodeau often is categorized as a defense-minded coach, but he pushed back on that label after his Knicks’ statement win Monday night over the Celtics at the Garden.
“I’m very biased to winning. Oftentimes, everybody is pigeonholed into something. You’re a defensive guy. You’re an offensive guy. You’re a player-development guy. You’re this. You’re that, whatever it is. I like to think I’m a basketball coach and I work for people that expect you to do all three,” Thibodeau said following the Knicks’ sixth consecutive victory. “So they expected you to be able to coach offense, coach defense, player development, gameplan, scout, evaluate personnel. And that’s the way I approach it.”
The Knicks (36-27) are averaging 120.7 points while shooting 38 percent from 3-point distance during their winning streak entering their game Wednesday against the Nets. They also rank sixth in the NBA in offensive rating this season. Two other Thibodeau-coached teams, the 2011-12 Bulls (fifth) and the 2017-18 Timberwolves (fourth), finished in the top five in the league in that category.
“I think having a good understanding of defense also helps you offensively,” Thibodeau said. “And it gives you an idea of matchups and how to attack certain schemes. So, I think all that stuff helps and then having good players, that helps a lot.”
Thibodeau’s career track record for player development includes Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Jimmy Butler, Karl-Anthony Towns and Knicks forward Julius Randle becoming first-time All-Stars under his tutelage. And Derrick Rose became the youngest MVP in NBA history alongside Thibodeau with the Bulls in 2010-11.
Also Butler and Randle both were named the league’s Most Improved Player while coached by Thibodeau. Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson could be a finalist for that award this season, along with the Jazz’s Lauri Markkanen and the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.
The Knicks signed 6-foot-3 combo guard Duane Washington Jr. to a two-way contract. He was waived by the Suns on Feb. 1 after averaging 7.9 points and 2.0 assists in 31 appearances (two starts) with Phoenix this season. The 22-year-old Ohio State product had a 26-point, seven-assist game in December.