Analyzing Tom Thibodeau’s four seasons as Knicks head coach

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 postseason, Thibodeau had OG Anunoby guard Joel Embiid in a critical Game Four win against the Philadelphia 76ers. Thibodeau’s decisions to bench rotation regulars over the years such as Kemba Walker, Derrick Rose, Evan Fournier and Cam Reddish ultimately were the right decisions.

There’s great synergy between Thibodeau and the roster. The team has a hard-nosed identity that best fits the coach. But there can be a limitation within that. It makes the Knicks not tailor-made for every player. Thibodeau is always going to have his warts as a coach. His decision to play Hart a full 48 minutes in three playoff games seemed puzzling at times. Hart also logged a full 53 minutes in an overtime loss in the first round, which was a major discussion point of the playoffs.

Going to smaller lineups

Thibodeau’s need to have a traditional rim-protecting and rebounding center on the floor at all times had its positives. But it has also restricted the Knicks from using different lineups. In three seasons, Thibodeau played lottery pick Obi Toppin and Randle together for just 212 combined minutes.

The inability to find consistent time for Toppin played a part in his exit via trade to the Indiana Pacers. In Indiana, Toppin saw time at both the four and the five. Pacers head coach Rick Carlisle found time for Toppin to play with Pascal Siakam despite both players being natural power forwards.

After losing Hartenstein in free agency, the Knicks could look into playing smaller with Randle at center. The only question is how much is Thibodeau willing to do that since he has relied on a collection of paint-bound big men to man the middle for years now.

Overall, Thibodeau has been a very good coach and one can appreciate the value he’s added just by establishing an identity for this current iteration of the Knicks. If he can be a bit less rigid with his rotations and lineups, and continue to grow in making adjustments or trying out different lineups, then he can boost New York’s championship hopes going forward.