Despite leading the New York Knicks to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time in 25 years, Tom Thibodeau is out as coach. The decision seemed hasty, but according to ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, the plug was pulled over usage concerns with Jalen Brunson and Thibodeau’s failure to make schematic adjustments during the NBA playoffs.
Brunson’s career numbers have risen to another level in every statistical category under Thibodeau. The star guard averaged 26 points per game and 7.3 assists this season. Over 18 postseason games, Brunson averaged 37.8 minutes per game, an increase from his regular-season tally of 35.4.
Thibodeau is known to heavily rely on his starting five with the help of key reserves and has never used a deep bench. The Knicks had three players inside the NBA’s most minutes played this season, including Mikal Bridges and Josh Hart, who came in at Nos. 1 and 3, respectively, as both averaged more than 37 minutes per game.
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Jasmyn Wimbish
Brunson missed games this season with ankle and calf injuries, suggesting he may not hold up if Thibodeau’s obsession with overplaying him continues. During the conference finals, New York seemed to move away from the pick-and-roll with Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns; the guard-to-center pairing only assisted on five field goals.
That was enough for the front office to make a move, Shelburne reports, despite Brunson’s public support for Thibodeau:
Entering February, the Brunson and Towns pick-and-roll was the second-most-efficient pick-and-roll combination in the NBA, averaging 1.22 points per direct play. But after February, that dropped to 0.88 points per direct pick as opponents started putting a wing on Brunson and switching a center onto the inconsistent-shooting Hart. Thibodeau never came up with an effective counter — often forcing Brunson to bail the team out at the end of possessions.
The Knicks need their next coach to more efficiently place the Brunson-Towns combination offensively. With defensive stopper OG Anunoby returning, among others, getting more time out of a comprehensive lineup should be more beneficial than playing regulars so many minutes.
Previously, players had spoken out about the strengths of New York’s deep roster.
“We’ve got a lot of good guys on this team that can take away the minutes, which helps the defense, helps the offense, helps tired bodies being out there and giving up all these points,” said Bridges before a game against the Blazers in March. “It helps us keeping fresh bodies out there.”
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