The 2024-25 season is officially over, the Oklahoma City Thunder are NBA champions, the draft is just days away, and the Knicks are still the only team without a head coach. Their search has been a slow burn, and new names are popping up as potential candidates. The latest name to emerge, according to James L. Edwards III of The Athletic, is New Orleans Pelicans' assistant coach James Borrego.
It has been 20 days since the Knicks parted ways with Tom Thibodeau. Since then, their head coaching search has primarily focused on trying to pry coaches from the grasp of other teams. They attempted to poach Jason Kidd from the Mavericks, Billy Donovan from the Bulls, Ime Udoka from the Rockets, Chris Finch from the Timberwolves, and Quin Snyder from the Hawks.
All of their attempts were met by resounding denials from those teams, with several coaches getting new contracts afterwards. The Knicks have since shifted their focus to candidates with prior head coaching experience, Mike Brown, who last coached for the Kings, and Taylor Jenkins, who last coached for the Grizzlies.
Both Brown and Jenkins completed interviews with the Knicks last week. According to Edwards III, "Both candidates interviewed over multiple days and were impressive." Still, the Knicks seem content drawing the process out, even with the draft and free agency looming.
Borrego is an intriguing option
Borrego just completed his 13th season on an NBA coaching staff. Prior to the 2024-25 season, he had been out of the league for a few years. Before that, he had been the head coach of the Charlotte Hornets for four seasons.
If you're judging Borrego by his head coaching record, there is much to be desired. Over those four years with Borrego at the helm, the Hornets went 138-163.
However, looking beyond the record, there are some very interesting qualities. For starters, Borrego is an offensive-minded coach. The Knicks roster, built around Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns, will be an offense-first team. Then there is the fact that he has a reputation for being an analytical thinker, something that Thibodeau was never known for.
As Edwards III notes in his article, Borrego is "known around the league for his offensive creativity and analytics-forward approach." There is also the fact that during his time in Charlotte, Borrego was a key part of the development of players like Miles Bridges and LaMelo Ball.
The Knicks have several notable young players on their roster, like Tyler Kolek, Pacome Dadiet, and Ariel Hukporti. Their development could become a key part of the Knicks' success.