Tom Thibodeau should be walking on thin ice to start 2022-23 season

With the offseason coming to a close and training camp on the way, it’s time for Coach Thibodeau and the New York Knicks to focus on the season. It’s unfortunate to see a player such as Donovan Mitchell, who had desires to play in New York, head elsewhere, but it’s in the past now. The only way fans should look is to the future.

For the Knicks, that means taking a look at what we have now. Having eight first-round picks over the next couple of years sets them up to make a big deal, should the right star become available on the market.

Most importantly, none of the Knicks’ young players were moved. RJ Barrett, Quentin Grimes, Immanuel Quickley, Cam Reddish, and Obi Toppin were names included in trades for Mitchell, who was sent to Cleveland in the end. On the surface, this is great news for New York; the team’s talent is as good as it gets and we’ve seen strides in the last year or two of what these players could be.

As you dig deeper, however, people must keep in mind that the Knicks’ youngsters cannot grow and develop without a decent amount of playing time. At the end of the day, that comes down to Coach Tom Thibodeau.

Coach Thibodeau must play the Knicks’ youth or else he could be on the hot seat

I will admit that Coach Thibodeau wasn’t dealt the best hand when he was hired as their head coach in 2020. In his two seasons, we’ve seen significant progress that we hadn’t seen since the 2012-13 season. That’s something to celebrate by all means.

However, Thibodeau is notoriously known for playing his veterans for significant minutes each game. While this may put the team in the best position to succeed for the season on hand, it does not help down the line as our youth could become wasted potential as they sit outside the rotation.

Last season it was put on full display, with Quickley averaging just 23.1 minutes per game, and Toppin and Grimes clocking in at a mere 17.1 minutes per game.

Barrett is the only young player for the Knicks that exceeds 30+ minutes per game. His Blue Devil teammate Cam Reddish only played 14.4 minutes per game after being traded from Atlanta.

Understandably, they receive minimal minutes, but these players have untapped potential that could help the Knicks return to success in the coming years.

It’s no secret that Thibodeau and the Knicks have favorites when it comes to providing players minutes. Julius Randle was one of those players for obvious reasons, but with how efficient Obi Toppin would play on the bench alongside Quickley, it left fans scratching their heads.

After Kemba Walker fizzled out of the rotation last year, it seemed prominent that one of the young guards would start. After some adjusting, Thibodeau thought it would be best to slide Alec Burks (a shooting guard/small forward) to the point. Granted, it may have been the right move for the season if the Knicks were headed to the playoffs. But as their playoff hopes slowly dwindled away, fans wondered why the young players didn’t see as much action as they had hoped.

Thankfully there will be more hope for this season. The Knicks addressed their much-needed hole at the point guard position by signing Jalen Brunson.

While a Mitchell trade didn’t happen, it will be an exciting training camp for Quentin Grimes, Immanuel Quickley, and Evan Fournier as they fight for the starting shooting guard spot.

A starting lineup of Brunson and Fournier seems to be a recipe for disaster on defense, so they may look to move the Frenchman to the bench in favor of Quickley or Grimes. This could also benefit Fournier since it could put him in the running for Sixth Man of the Year.

The only thing left to do is to address the power forward position, which could become tricky.

Should the Knicks keep or deal Julius Randle?

This has been a looming question for months now. Fans had expected Randle to produce a stat line similar to that of the season prior. As it turned out, this didn’t happen as Randle had a slightly down season in a year where the Knicks fell just outside the play-in tournament at 37-45.

In the last 10 games of the season that Randle sat out, Obi Toppin finally had the chance to prove his worth to the coaches and front office. Toppin averaged 20.3 points as a starter this past season, proving that he is more than capable at the age of 24 to handle a starting position.

To be fair, Toppin is not the best defender, which is why he doesn’t see the floor as much, but he gives more of an effort than Randle did at times last year. Not to mention, Toppin and Quickley were one of the most efficient duos in the league last season.

What would make the Knicks hold onto Randle? His efficiency took a dip this year, but the Knicks front office reportedly believes that he can improve on a season that was a letdown. Randle is 27 years old, meaning he has plenty of prime years left ahead, so he could undoubtedly bounce back.

Why would the Knicks trade Julius Randle? This would give Obi Toppin the green light at the power forward position. It would also free up a good amount of cap room and would give the Knicks a first-round pick or two in the process.

Considering how much Donovan Mitchell was worth, Randle would get interest from around the league and would be worth a first-round pick or two, depending on protections. But the chances are that Randle will stay put this season, as he is a Thibodeau type of player.

Whichever way the ball rolls, Tom Thibodeau must make a decision regarding the team’s goals. The everlasting problem with the New York Knicks is their mediocrity. They’ve never been really good but they’ve also never been bad to the point where they tank in order to land a top pick.

Thibodeau needs to play the kids for not just the team’s sake, but for the sake of the fans as well. Outside of a year or two of success with Carmelo Anthony on the squad, New York hasn’t found consistent success since the 1990s.

Whichever direction Tom Thibodeau decides to lead the Knicks could be his eventual rise to success or his complete downfall as head coach.

Knicks must prioritize the youth movement and continue to rebuild in 2022-23

After a disappointing 2021-22 season, many Knicks fans were calling for the team to go young and trade some of the valuable veterans on the roster.