Having the same coach for a long time means you take the good and the bad for granted. In the case of Tom Thibodeau, it meant two things in particular.
First, the Knicks would come out playing their hardest every single night. No question. The guys out there on the floor would give it their all.
Second, you’d have eight guys getting real minutes. Maaaybe nine if you’re lucky. But no more. And if you weren’t in the ‘in’ group, it wasn’t going to be you.
While this formula ultimately ended up with a conference
finals appearance, the lack of flexibility down the stretch of the regular season resulted in some spur-of-the-moment coaching decisions as the playoff run went along. Delon Wright and Landry Shamet both were thrust into bigger roles than anticipated off the bench. Coach Thibs didn’t have a sense of who played well as part of certain units, and there were certainly times when that lack of knowledge hurt the Knicks down the stretch.
That certainly won’t be an issue this season, and last night was a prime example why.
Twelve Knicks played in last night’s win over the Pelicans, and we were getting contributions from everyone on the floor.
Brunson, Anunoby, Bridges, and KAT were the four guys leading the charge, but the cast of characters goes on.
Miles McBride returned from three weeks on the sideline to hit some clutch free throws down the stretch. Jordan Clarkson poured in nine points of his own. Tyler Kolek had a cool seven points and five assists after bursting onto the national scene in the NBA Cup Finals and on Christmas Day. Guerschon Yabusele, who’s been having a disappointing season overall, tried to right the ship, knocking down three triples.
From there, the names get less familiar… but the production doesn’t slow down one bit.
Mo Diawara had 18 points in 18 minutes, shooting a perfect 4-4 from three. He’s been starting games lately and showing real improvement as the season continues. Cue the tape!
Do you think Thibs would be running this year’s 51st overall pick out there game after game, prioritizing both development and winning? Me neither.
Ariel Hukporti didn’t make much of an impact last night, but Trey Jemison stepped in with some solid defensive play in just his fifth appearance of the year. Both have proved
And who could forget Kevin McCullar Jr.? The second-year player looked alright last night, but Kev had the game of his young career just this past Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks, with 13 points and 8 rebounds.
This was all done without the help of Josh Hart, sidelined with an ankle injury. And for those keeping track, Pacome Dadiet picked up a DNP-CD last night.
Heading into the season, the biggest question about the Knicks’ roster was their depth, and rightfully so. It wasn’t that guys like Kolek, Hukporti and McCullar weren’t good enough to contribute – they were just unproven, and never truly given a fair shot.
Now, it’s fair to say that the Knicks have guys up and down their roster they could trust to play spot playoff minutes.
Coach Mike Brown deserves all the credit in the world for rewriting the narrative. While the goal has always been to win games, Brown is righting his predecessor’s wrongs, opting to also invest in the younger players’ development and opportunity as he mixes and matches with the pieces on his roster. He’s giving everyone a shot, which is all you could hope for as a fan.
And it doesn’t end there – the players are stepping up and delivering. Sure, you could hand out opportunities, but the cherry on top here is that the players are responding. Every single guy, one through fifteen, is contributing to winning basketball this season.
Is there any better metric by which to define a championship-ready team?
