Knicks: Top 5 players most likely to thrive under Tom Thibodeau

Examining the New York Knicks roster to find the right fits for Tom Thibodeau.

There are certain types of players whose styles just mesh with certain type of coaches. You’ve heard of the “Riley” guys, the “D’Antoni” guys, and “Popovich” guys, who are the epitome of the attitude, system or style of play a coach is looking to implement. With luck, there will be several current New York Knicks who already are, or will evolve into, “Thibs” guys.

What’s a Thibs guy, you ask?

A grinder, who doesn’t give up on a 2-on-1 fast break when they’re outnumbered. A dogged chaser of perfection, or at the very least, a gym rat who accepts nothing less than improvement day in and day out. A willing on-ball and help defender, who is looking to create an identity on the defensive end of the floor.

While it’s hard to say whether one current Knick checks off all those boxes, there are certain guys on the roster who meet one or two of those criteria, and could greatly benefit from a season under the noted defensive-minded ringleader.

In this article, I will walk through the players currently on the Knicks roster who are most suited to play Thibs basketball.