Arguably the most important factor that will determine the next coaching regime for the New York Knicks is what their planned approach to getting the most out of star center Karl-Anthony Towns will be.
Though the big man may have just had one of his best seasons to date during his debut campaign in the orange and blue threads, dropping stellar averages of 24.4 points and 12.8 rebounds on 52.6 percent shooting from the floor and 42.0 percent shooting from deep, as regularly seen throughout the club's Eastern Conference Finals run, there are key areas of his game that still need refining.
While he was by no means the lone reason for their upset loss to the Pacers in round three, his shortcomings on the hardwood certainly played a role in their ultimate demise.
Now, with Tom Thibodeau no longer running the show on the sidelines, the belief is that the Knicks are looking for a coach who is capable of getting the most out of this team.
And while the lion's share of attention may be geared toward potential headmen targets, at least as far as the further development of Towns' game is concerned, there's one particular assistant coach Leon Rose and company must strongly consider adding to the staff for 2025-26.
Luckily for them, said individual is already a member of the organization.
Hiring Patrick Ewing as an assistant could do wonders for Knicks star
Despite what his six-year tenure running the show at Georgetown may suggest, Patrick Ewing has had ample success throughout his coaching career, particularly in the player development department.
The Knicks legend has 14 years of experience serving as an assistant in the NBA and has a proven track record of helping star-level centers reach new heights in their games along the way.
From being credited with helping Yao Ming hone his craft during his early days in Houston and teaching Dwight Howard to make "adjustments in his game" back in Orlando, to guiding the already established Al Jefferson to his lone All-NBA selection and top-eight finish in the MVP race during both of their first seasons in Charlotte, Ewing has a well documented history of benefiting bigs.
Perhaps Towns could be his next success story.
Per The Athletic's James L. Edwards III and Fred Katz, Knicks players and personnel were far from thrilled with KAT's "defensive habits" throughout the 2024-25 campaign, while his inability to play up to his size on both ends of the ball consistently enraged fans and pundits.
With this in mind, why not bring aboard someone like Patrick Ewing, who excelled in both areas en route to a Hall of Fame career, to share his wisdom with their cornerstone center?
Being he's already on the payroll serving as a Basketball ambassador, transitioning him to the sidelines could prove to be a rather seamless move for the franchise to consider making.