Knicks Coach Appreciates ‘Overrated’ Familiarity

New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau doesn’t appear to believe that the concept of the “Nova Knicks” is the (Wild)cat’s meow … but he’ll roll with it anyway.

In a wide-ranging interview with Steve Aschburner of NBA.com, Thibodeau tried to downplay the abundance of familiarity that has invaded the Knicks’ roster but nonetheless admitted that it has a purpose for his group as it prepares to embark on a dangerous, if not thrilling, quest.

“It’s probably a little overrated but the fact that they’ve played together before probably helps them adjust quickly to a new system,” Thibodeau said. “That’s where the biggest advantage is, their comfort in playing off each other, understanding strengths and weaknesses. Not only have you played so many games together, you’ve also practiced together.”

Little more needs to be said about the Villanova-to-Manhattan pipeline, one that welcomed former Brooklyn Nets star Mikal Bridges to the fold earlier this summer. Bridges joins fellow former Main Line stars Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo, and Josh Hart, reuniting a quartet that guided Villanova to its second men’s basketball national title in 2016.

In addition to the Wildcat pack, Bridges will also get to work with Keita Bates-Diop again after the duo previously collaborated in Brooklyn and Phoenix. Yet another desert dweller-turned-Knick, Cameron Payne, made the trip to the 2021 NBA Finals with Bates-Diop and Bridges, while New York also added one more ex-Arizonan from the 2020s in the form of Landry Shamet over the weekend.

Thibodeau said that the excessive familiarity reminds him of his days at the helm of the Chicago Bulls in the first half of the prior decade: back then, Thibodeau reunited Carlos Boozer, Ronnie Brewer, and Kyle Korver in the Windy City after the trio guided the Utah Jazz to prosperity in the late 2000s.

This time, though, Thibodeau is more interested in how the teammates’ time apart shaped their games rather than their shared exploits … particularly those of a collegiate variety.

“The Villanova thing was a long time ago,” Thibodeau said. “That’s what people don’t realize, that these guys have all gone on to play at different places. So they’ve gained different experiences and now they’ve come back. But you also have situations like with Mikal, who not only has played with those guys but he also has played with Cam Payne and Bates-Diop.”

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