Tom Thibodeau: Knicks ‘Starting at Zero’

The New York Knicks have a lot to build off of from the previous season after winning 50 games and coming away just one game shy of their first Eastern Conference Finals visit since 2000.

Even though they have a good starting point, they are essentially starting from scratch after losing Isaiah Hartenstein, Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo and replacing them with Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges.

With so many shocks to the system, Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is treating the beginning of the season as if the team is starting from scratch.

“Obviously you start at a zero base and you build,” Thibodeau said. “And that’s where we are. We’re building right now, but we have to understand that you build together. And so you’re asking everyone to share the floor, share the ball, and then be committed together defensively. And so that’s what we’re working on.”

While there is a lot that the Knicks can take from years past, there are significant changes made to the roster, and with that comes a new setup. They have to build chemistry while incorporating Towns and Bridges into the fold. There are reasons why it could be easy for the Knicks, considering the fact that Bridges played with Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart in college, but that doesn’t mean they can cut corners.

Without their new additions in Bridges and Towns, the Knicks won’t be able to get anywhere, so they need to be able to bring those guys up to speed along with the rest of the group in order to have the team on the same page going into the season.

Thibodeau is getting his team ready for opening night, which takes place on Tuesday, Oct. 22 when the Knicks the defending champion Boston Celtics at TD Garden.

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