Tom Thibodeau gave an incredulous look. Then he smiled.
No, the Knicks’ coach said with a smirk, he doesn’t care if his team wins in a shootout or a defensive struggle. It can play fast or slow.
Only one thing matters to him.
“I love winning,” he said.
Thibodeau worked for defensive-minded coaches and made a name for himself on the defensive end. In a survey of NBA general managers which asked which coach runs the best defensive schemes, he was tied for third. He is associated with defense. His first Knicks team two years ago overachieved mostly because it was so stout at that end of the floor.
“I know I’ve been put into this box. I have no problem with it,” Thibodeau said. “But I’ve had top-five offenses, too. I think if you understand defense, you also understand where the holes in the defense are, where you can attack the holes in the defense. And that’s one of the advantages I think you do gain.”
This season, Thibodeau is changing it up somewhat, emphasizing uptempo basketball, pushing the ball and playing with pace after the Knicks were next-to-last in that category last year and dead last the season before. Thibodeau’s reasoning for the change is simple: He has the players to execute that style, a selfless point guard in Jalen Brunson, young players who thrive in the open court such as RJ Barrett, Obi Toppin, Cam Reddish and Immanuel Quickley and a deep roster that is suited for playing fast. Both Derrick Rose and Julius Randle, two of the team’s oldest players, arrived in camp noticeably slimmer in preparation for the new style.
“I think people get lost in, ‘OK, we wanna be this.’ Well, no,” Thibodeau said. “What gives you the best chance to win? I think that’s the most important thing.”
The change doesn’t surprise Brunson, who has known the 62-year-old Thibodeau for years, all the way back to his days as an assistant coach for the Knicks. Thibodeau isn’t as rigid as some think. He can change. He’s willing to alter how he operates.
“Good coaches, good players, the reason they are around for a long time, is they continue to adapt,” Brunson said. “They adapt their game, they adapt their way of thinking.
“It’s how the league is trending,” the new Knicks guard added. “Either you’re going to get with it or you’re going to get left behind.”
The Knicks want to play fast. They want to run on every occasion. After made baskets and defensive rebounds, turnovers or even something as basic as an inbounds pass. But there is a fine line between playing fast and playing out of control. Playing with pace only works if it is being done within the team concept.
“The idea is, how do we create more value shots? How do we get more layups? How do we get more free throws? How do we get more corner 3s?” Thibodeau said. “When you look at how teams create 3s, it’s usually in transition. It’s offensive rebounding. … So, the more times you can do that, the better.”
It’s obviously incredibly early, but the signs are positive. The offense looked vastly different than in past years during the preseason and the first two regular-season games. The ball moved. The Knicks got up and down quicker, getting easy shots. There is far less isolation.
There are, of course, also challenges. It has to become second nature.
“Being consistent with it, you got to do it every time,” Brunson said. “It takes hard work, it takes good conditioning, and it takes being smart as well. Sometimes, we can be playing fast, but we’re not getting good shots. We got to be smart.”
That’s been Thibodeau’s talking point from the outset. This will only work if the Knicks are able to juggle pace with patience, maintaining their defensive mindset while playing at this fast pace. Ultimately, it all boils down to one thing for Thibodeau.
“I just wanna make sure we have more [points] than [the other team] at the end,” he said.