Thibs shows Knicks coaching matters
Looking for 4th straight win, but they fall to Kings
Coaches come and go around these parts. Like your workout plans. There’s always the honeymoon phase, littered with the obligatory declarations of “commitment to defense” and “culture of accountability” and “Mecca of basketball.” Very quickly it devolves into “it’s a process” and “the hacker liked those porn tweets” and “Matt Barnes didn’t punch me that hard” and “It’s actually a triangle hybrid.”
Seven coaches in six long years. But the Knicks seem to have finally got it right in Tom Thibodeau.
It’s still too way too early for verdicts or victory laps, and here’s a bit of caution to douse the excitement: Jeff Hornacek’s Knicks coaching career started 14-10.
But the early returns on Thibodeau are overwhelmingly positive, reinforcing his reputation as a film-room grinding taskmaster who squeezes the most out of his players. That’s the biggest reason for optimism in such a small sample size: we knew Thibodeau was good long before he began his five-year contract in New York.
Consider this: the Knicks, heading into Friday night’s game at Sacramento, are 8-8 with basically the same players as last season. The starting lineup of Julius Randle, Mitchell Robinson, Elfrid Payton, RJ Barrett and Reggie Bullock are eating up the vast majority of minutes and were all part of the 2019-20 debacle, when the Knicks started 4-20 and their invitation to the Orlando bubble was lost in the mail.
There’s an element of natural improvement based on maturation and familiarity. Every player is in his 20s. Barrett, in particular, has climbed the ladder. But the biggest offseason acquisition, the biggest upgrade, was on the sideline.
Before their game in Sactown, the Knicks were allowing a league-best 102.8 points per game, nearly 10 points lower than last season. They owned the third-best defensive rating in the NBA. Last season, their defensive rating was 23rd. They’ve held the Celtics to 75 points and, on Thursday night, hounded Steph Curry into frustration.
It’s a transformation steered by a defensive-minded coach.
“It’s a long way to go,” Thibodeau said, “but if we can rely on our defense and rebounding and keep our turnovers low, I know that puts you in position to win regardless of how well you shoot the ball on any particular night.”
Oftentimes in New York, the results get lost in the big picture. There’s always a free agent to chase, or an executive trying to avoid the ax (or trying to get fired), or a disgruntled player, or the allure of a draft prospect to justify the losing.
But Thibodeau has managed to keep the focus on the present. He’s even relayed Thibo-isms in press conferences that underscored his mentality, delivered in deadpan gruff:
“I’m not happy unless I’m miserable.”
“I’m concerned about everything all the time.”
Asked Friday what starting an unexpected 8-8 record meant to him, Thibodeau responded, “It means we have a lot of work to do.”
The work continues for the encouraging Knicks with this in mind: it’s a player’s league, more so now than ever, but Thibodeau is showing that coaching still matters.
The Knicks’ defense showed up again but their offense disappeared.
The result was a 103-94 defeat Friday night to the Kings, with the Knicks (8-9) shooting blanks down the stretch and finishing with a putrid 38% field-goal percentage.
Julius Randle was again effective with 26 points with 15 rebounds in 36 minutes, but didn’t much help from his teammates. The key stretch was after Randle cut the deficit to 2 with 4:30 remaining. The Kings (6-10) responded with a 7-2 run to bury the Knicks and snap their three-game winning streak.
De’Aaron Fox led Sacramento with 22 points. Harrison Barnes added 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. The Knicks reserves – Obi Toppin, Immanuel Quickley, Alec Burks, Nerlens Noel and Kevin Knox – combined to shoot just 11-of-36.
It was a battle of contrasting playing styles. The Knicks had one of the best defenses in the league, allowing opponents to score an NBA-low 102.8 points per game. The Kings had the league’s worst defense while allowing 123 points.
In other words, the Knicks played to their preferred style and still lost. Perhaps playing in the second night of a back-to-back, following Thursday’s victory over Golden State, was a factor.
Friday also provided the Knicks with a first-hand look at one of the prospects they passed over in the draft – Haliburton – who was impressive with 16 points and four blocks. Haliburton, a combo guard who was picked 12th by the Kings, entered the evening averaging 11.1 points and five assists in 28 minutes, proving to be a steal of 2020 class. At
20 years old, he’s been more productive than 22-year-old rookie Obi Toppin, who the Knicks drafted eighth overall.
Toppin missed much of this season with a calf strain. He scored just six points over 12 minutes in his sixth game back Friday.
“The thing I like about Haliburton is the versatility,” Thibodeau said. “He’s both good with the ball and can play with the ball. So I think those guys complement each other well and they play at a high level for them.”
Despite the defeat, the Knicks are exceeding he low expectations for the season. They have the smallest payroll in the NBA and didn’t upgrade much in free agency. So depending on how Thibodeau’s early success is interpreted, it’s an indictment on former coach David Fizdale, who was fired last season with a 4-18 record.
But even Fizdale credited Thibodeau with the team’s transformation.
“They are are exactly Tom Thibodeau,” Fizdale said. “They are competing their tails off. You know I love those kids. So for them to know what it feels like to win in this league is great for them. And (Thibodeau) is doing a helluva job. …I think he’s doing exactly what he needs to do to get to them next level.”