NY Knicks: 4 reasons why Kenny Payne is an important hire

The New York Knicks have added Kentucky assistant Kenny Payne to Tom Thibodeau’s coaching staff.

Kenny Payne, who many have credited for having a huge impact on the success of the University of Kentucky basketball program, has made the decision to jump to the NBA to join the New York Knicks coaching staff as an assistant under Tom Thibodeau.

After several weeks of speculation, the hire was made official on Tuesday. Payne has a long-time relationship with Knicks president Leon Rose and vice president William Wesley.

In a statement released jointly with the team, Thibodeau sounded excited about the hire.

"“I’m thrilled that Kenny has joined my staff as an assistant coach,” Thibodeau said. “He has an outstanding ability to forge relationships with players and improve their skills.”"

The Kentucky assistant has built a strong reputation developing players who have turned into stars in the NBA—from Devin Booker to Karl-Anthony Towns to Anthony Davis.

Payne worked closely with Knicks lottery pick Kevin Knox at Kentucky. This could be a great opportunity for Knox to develop his game with a familiar coach after a tepid start to his professional career.

The 53-year-old assistant played in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers from 1989-1993. He cut his teeth in coaching at Oregon from 2004-2009, before joining John Calipari’s staff at Kentucky in 2010, where he has remained an integral part of the program until accepting this recent offer.

"“This is a bittersweet day for us at Kentucky,” UK head coach John Calipari said (via the University of Kentucky). “Kenny has been an extremely important part of our success here. His relationship with our players is second to none. He coaches them and challenges them as hard as anyone, but they respect him, they listen to him and they learn from him because they know he cares. As a basketball coach and a teacher, he could run any program in the country. Simply, he’s as good as they get.”"

Payne’s addition to Thibodeau’s staff is welcoming news for Knicks fans desparate for any sign of hope that the organization is finally ready to compete at a high level again. While many will focus on the former Kentucky assistant’s connection with star players, let’s examine four reasons why he is an important hire from a basketball standpoint.

Why Kenny Payne is an important hire: Mitchell Robinson

While a lot of focus will be placed on Kenny Payne’s relationship with Kevin Knox, his potential influence on Mitchell Robinson might be more important.

The success in developing the Knicks’ big man will dictate how quickly Leon Rose and company are able to turn around a franchise that hasn’t sniffed the playoffs since 2013.

Robinson has unlimited potential on defense, swatting away shots from both inside the paint and along the perimeter. It’s on the offensive side of the ball where he needs the most work. Despite setting a single-season record for the highest FG% this past year, Robinson remains an extremely raw player with the basketball in his hands—he can also use plenty of work without the ball in setting screens.

Payne is known as a “big man whisperer,” having great success working with both Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Davis while at Kentucky.

In a recent article by The Athletic (subscription required), Towns called Payne one of the key reasons behind Kentucky’s success, while highlighting his strength as a player development coach. In the same article, Davis credits Payne for developing his game in the paint.

Mitchell Robinson has been a nice success story for the Knicks amid several recent failures. He was a second round pick that has blossomed into a big man with great potential. However, he still needs to take that next step into becoming a legit NBA starter. Payne might be the perfect development coach to help him get there.

Why Kenny Payne is an important hire: James Dolan continues to invest in the team

The NBA salary cap has evened the playing field for small market teams to compete with the premier cities around the league in terms of player salary. Madison Square Garden can sell out every night – remember when fans could attend games – and celebrities can pay astronomical prices to sit courtside, but none of that added revenue helps the Knicks in their ability to outspend their opponents for talent on the court.

Where the Knicks can flex their big market strength is off the court. There is no salary cap in paying coaches and executives. We have seen owner James Dolan’s willingness to cut bait on expensive mistakes from Phil Jackson to most recently David Fizdale.

If the Knicks overpay for a coach, it’s not like Joakim Noah, they aren’t stuck with a cap hit over several seasons that prevents them from hiring future talent.

Despite several costly mistakes in hiring coaches and executives, and despite a global pandemic that will keep MSG in the dark for the foreseeable future, Dolan continues to invest in his basketball team, which, say what you want about the beleaguered owner, is positive news.

Fizdale will receive the remainder of his $22 million contract over the next three years. Meanwhile, recently-hired coach Tom Thibodeau reportedly signed for a similar amount over five years.

Kenny Payne leaves a Kentucky job where he was getting paid $900,000 as an assistant to John Calipari. Obviously, for him to leave a position where he was comfortable, successful, and paid well, the Knicks must have made a competitive offer for him to move to New York. Despite the current economic climate, the Knicks are still invested in building a competitive basketball team.

Why Kenny Payne is an important hire: Kevin Knox’s development

The hire of Kenny Payne will bring plenty of speculation about the NBA stars he has helped develop while coaching at Kentucky. Let all of the rumors about Payne helping New York to recruit players like Devin Booker and Karl-Anthony Towns begin.

While some will be distracted by the splashy headlines, don’t overlook the importance of Payne’s role in developing players already on the Knicks’ roster. We talked about Mitchell Robinson earlier.

The most obvious player who is set to gain from having the former Kentucky assistant along the sideline everyday is Kevin Knox. The 2018 lottery pick has a strong relationship with Payne from his time playing at Kentucky. Perhaps the two working together in New York can unleash some magic at the NBA level.

Payne recently told the New York Post that he still believes Knox can thrive with the right people around him.

"“I think a new staff comes in and can evaluate what the kid is and tell him what he needs him to do,’’ Payne told The Post in a phone interview. “He’s starting with a clean slate. There’s no prejudging of who he is. He can go out and feel comfortable and do the things to help the team win. I think he’s coming back with a new and different fire. With a little adversity, you can attain greatness. And he’s been through it.”"

Since leaving Kentucky, Knox had an up-and-mostly-down rookie campaign where it was trial by fire on many nights. Whatever positives could be taken from Year 1 seemed completely lost in his sophomore campaign. Knox shot a dismal 35.9% from the field and several advanced metrics place him as one of the worst players in basketball.

Knox just turned 21 on the day of Payne’s hiring becoming official. While still extremely young, the former lottery pick needs to develop from a young player trying to find his way into an asset the Knicks can count on in their lineup or as a trade piece down the road. Time is ticking before his rookie contract runs up. Hopefully, Payne can help mature Knox into a productive player.

Why Kenny Payne is an important hire: Hiring the best and the brightest

There are two ways you can look at Leon Rose’s approach to hiring since taking over as president of the New York Knicks.

1. He is hiring all of his best buddies.
2. He is hiring the best and the brightest.

As with most things in life, the reality is somewhere between those two takes.

Playing in New York, the Knicks are often tied to the biggest names in the sport, and while Thibodeau qualifies as a namebrand hire, several of the additions to the Knicks staff are people whose reputations are bigger inside the game of basketball than known to fans.

Walt Perrin was hired as head of college scouting. The former Jazz executive is well-respected around the league and credited for identifying several of the key draft picks that have turned Utah into a top team.

Brock Aller was hired to provide cap expertise. Another name unfamiliar to most outside of the game, but credited with being integral in managing the Cavaliers cap situation with LeBron.

The Knicks also added young scouting guru Alex Kline.

And now Kenny Payne is the latest big name/no-name to join the Knicks staff. Sure, he has a strong relationship with William Wesley, and it’s easy to connect the dots for why he is now in New York, but if anything, that speaks more to the power of the Knicks new front office in having strong relationships with some of the game’s premier talent.

Leon Rose is assembling a staff of people who aren’t just headline-grabbers, but legitimately have respect within their profession in their abilities to excel at their jobs. That is more important than worrying about previous relationships to Rose from his time at CAA.

Working as the head honcho at the game’s most elite player agencies is going to create a lot of connections, which is part of the credentials needed in being a team president who has the ability to assemble a qualified staff.