Tom Thibodeau knows Knicks lack experience
New coach hypes team’s youth, athleticism
The Knicks have a full roster and about $18 million in cap space, which coach Tom Thibodeau noted can still be used for trades even with the free-agent crop all-but dried up.
In the meantime, he’s guiding a roster without one player in his 30s and an average age of 24.1, currently the fourth-youngest team in the NBA behind the Timberwolves (23.6), Hornets (24) and Grizzlies (24). Not coincidentally, the better teams are often older — with the Lakers (29.1), Rockets (27.8), Clippers (27.5), Heat (27.4), Bucks (27) and Mavericks (26.9) currently ranking as the eldest.
So how will Thibodeau compensate for the inexperience?
“One of the strengths of our club (is) we are young and we are athletic. I want to take advantage of that. Obviously when you have older guys, the strengths they have — they have the tricks of the trade down pat,” Thibodeau said. “When you’re younger hopefully you can take advantage of your legs and athleticism.”
Despite their youth over the last several campaigns, the Knicks never played at a particularly high pace. Last season they were 25th in the league. The season prior,
when New York had the NBA’s youngest roster, it was 17th. The preceding five seasons, all resulting in the draft lottery, the Knicks finished 17th, 17th, 26th, 28th and 28th in pace.
Thibodeau’s teams in Chicago played at a slow pace as well, and Minnesota didn’t crack the top-15 in his two full seasons as head coach. So if speed and athleticism translates into more possessions, it’ll require a coaching style adjustment.
Thibodeau said the team’s first group session Sunday was too slow.
“First day of anything — some good, some bad,” Thibodeau said. “Gives you a baseline where you are and hopefully you can concentrate on the improvement. A lot of teaching on the first day of course. So it’s slow moving. We got to get it up to a game-like pace.”
Running and transition theoretically fits the game of Obi Toppin, the eighth overall pick and athletic phenomenon, who crushed the fitness tests at training camp.
“My wind is perfectly fine. I hardly get tired,” Toppin said. “I’m pretty ready on the conditioning side.”
It remains to be seen whether Toppin lands a starting spot, but he plays the same position as last season’s leading scorer Julius Randle. Toppin said he’s comfortable at center if Thibodeau sees a fit.
“If he puts me at the 5, he believes I can play the 5, I believe I can play the 5,” Toppin said. “If he puts me at the 4, the 3, he’s a smart guy, he knows I can play that position. And he’s not going to put me in position to fail. So I understand that him and the team is always going to make sure that I’m successful.”
With only a week before the first preseason game, Thibodeau hasn’t committed to a starting lineup or rotation.
“I haven’t settled on a starting rotation,” Thibodeau said. “I think everything’s up for grabs. Starting, finishing, rotation, so I think we’ll get those answers as we go. And if you start off and you’re not in the rotation, what I’ve found over the years is everyone will get an opportunity to be in the rotation, so you just have to be ready, but we’ll make those decisions based off performance and what fits the team the best.”