New York Knicks: Lance Thomas Embodies Team Identity

The New York Knicks re-signed Lance Thomas to a four-year contract, but why? Sometimes, basketball talent and skill are only a fraction in the equation.

The biggest criticisms of the New York Knicks are often based in the short-term. What’s quietly circulating throughout the NBA, however, is a sense of cautious optimism based on the long-term vision.

Both in the immediate and distant future, the Knicks’ team identity is embodied by one player: Lance Thomas.

Thomas isn’t a household name like Carmelo Anthony or a potential franchise player like Kristaps Porzingis. He isn’t a former superstar searching for redemption like Derrick Rose or, to a lesser extent, Joakim Noah.

Thomas is a role player who hadn’t achieved career stability until this past July.

Singling out a player who couldn’t even maintain a guaranteed roster spot until recently is an odd thing to do, I admit. The reality is: Thomas’ journey to merely finding a place in the NBA isn’t something to frown upon.

As front office insider Bobby Marks of The Vertical pointed out in November of 2015, the Knicks should look at Thomas as the symbol of perseverance.

There’s no team that Thomas’ story better applies to than the 2016-17 Knicks.

The 2016-17 roster is flush with recognizable names. For as much star power as there may be, name value is all that many of the players have been able hold onto in recent seasons.

By bringing this group of players together, team president Phil Jackson has either created a beautiful disaster or a formula for redemption.

Brandon Jennings, Joakim Noah, and Derrick Rose are household names amongst NBA fans. All three have suffered a season-ending injury at some point over the past three seasons, however, and none have recovered in the public eye.

New York will provide all three with an opportunity to prove they still belong in the tiers of the contemporary stars.

Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis proved just how promising a duo they can be in 2015-16. Anthony is 32 years old, however, and Porzingis only has one season of NBA experience under his belt.

As is the case for any team or player, the Knicks’ potential won’t be realized unless they put the work in.

There are other players who are hoping to prove themselves, including Justin Holiday and Marshall Plumlee—both of whom have one guaranteed season on their respective contracts. That all brings the narrative back to Thomas.

As Knicks general manager Steve Mills made clear in November of 2015, Thomas’ work ethic is what makes him so valuable to the team.

That’s why he was re-signed to a four-year contract.

Thomas is well-liked, but put yourself in the shoes of one of the more established players. How exactly would it look to yourself or your peers if someone whom you’re more naturally talented than is working harder than you?

That’s what makes Thomas the Knicks’ glue guy.

Anthony, Courtney Lee, Noah, Porzingis, and Rose are all locked in as starters, and Jennings is the sixth man. All six of those players have earned those roles through their work in the past, but all six face question marks in the present.

If Thomas is outworking them, then perhaps they aren’t the long-term building blocks that New York believes they can be.

By holding his teammates accountable with his own work ethic and motor, Thomas firmly embodies the team identity. He’s the shining example of how far hard work and perseverance can take a player or team.

If the Knicks’ big-name players match Thomas’ energy and effort, 2016-17 will be a successful season.

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The role player whom everyone seems to overlook could be the glue holding this team firmly together come the postseason.