Knicks Assistant Leaves for Spurs G League Job

The New York Knicks coaching staff under head coach Tom Thibodeau is taking another hit.

According to ESPN insider Adrian Wojnarowski, Knicks player development coach Scott King is being hired by the Austin Spurs to be their next head coach.

King is returning to the G League after starting with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants working in basketball operations in 2017. He came to the NBA a year later as a video intern for the Detroit Pistons before joining the Knicks as the assistant video coordinator in 2019.

King stayed with the Knicks video staff but was promoted ahead of this past season to be the assistant director of player development. Now, he takes another step in the right direction by becoming the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs G League affiliate in Austin.

King isn’t the only assistant to leave the Knicks this past season. New York also lost associate head coach Johnnie Bryant, who left the team to take the same job with the Cleveland Cavaliers under new coach Kenny Atkinson, who was hired to replace J.B. Bickerstaff.

Given his experience in video, King was often viewed as a resource for the Knicks whenever they would need to challenge a play. King had an iPad on hand while he was on the bench and would often be the one to tip off Thibodeau if he should challenge a certain play.

While someone else could certainly take over these duties on the coaching staff, it’s an important part of a group that often goes underneath the radar.

They led the league in both total challenges (8) and successful challenges (6) during the first round of the playoffs, saving an estimated 7.88 points in six games against the 76ers, a series that saw them outscore Philadelphia just 650-649,” New York Post columnist Brian Lewis wrote.

Now, King will be the one calling for challenges and a whole lot more with the Austin Spurs.

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