New York Knicks: The Road to Respectability

Knicks: Tom Thibodeau is a COTY Candidate and Julius Randle is an All-Star

This leads us to where we are today. The Knicks are sitting at 20-19 which is good for 7th in the East and if the season was to end today they would be a playoff team, granted they would be in the play-in tournament but still. The main reason for this drastic turnaround from last season with basically the same roster is because of head coach Tom Thibodeau.

He’s turned these Knicks into a gritty, defensive-minded team focused on old-school play instead of the modern launching from 3 that is the norm in the NBA. The Knicks play a snail’s pace that forces teams to play their style of basketball which has been very successful to this point. The team plays as a cohesive unit where everyone puts the team-first and Thibodeau holds everyone accountable regardless if it’s Randle or Theo Pinson.

Speaking of Randle.

Under the leadership of Thibodeau Julius Randle has transformed from a player all fans wanted off the team into an untouchable asset to the young core. He’s averaging career-highs across all counting stats and is 8th in the NBA in WAR. His play has elevated the whole team and has turned the narrative around for the franchise. He’s another player the Thibs has elevated to All-Star status joining the likes of D-Rose, Jimmy Butler, and Karl-Anthony Towns. Regardless of how the season ends up, Julius Randle becoming an All-Star has been a joy to watch and has gotten the fanbase excited about the future of the team.

The team has been an absolute joy to watch and this season will no doubt be considered a success. The fans are hopeful this is the first season of many more successful campaigns under the Rose regime. Whether it be the play-in tournament, making the playoffs, watch the Mavs miss the playoffs, or the Knicks barely not making it in this season shouldn’t be taken for granted it’s been a joy for our fans who have been dying for any sort of positive basketball news we can take.