Tom Thibodeau got his way in Game 3—but the Knicks need him to adapt in Game 4

Tom Thibodeau found a way to address one of the New York Knicks’ biggest concerns during their Game 3 victory Thursday night over the Detroit Pistons: He unlocked a better version of Karl-Anthony Towns just a couple of days after the big man no-showed down the stretch of a Game 2 loss. 

But the job’s not done. Far from it, in fact.

Yes, rebounding from Monday’s letdown at Madison Square Garden is a big deal. Going down 2-1 in the series to the six-seeded Pistons, as feisty and plucky as they are, would be a disaster. And while Game 3 wasn’t always pretty, it featured better shot distribution across the top of the roster; more engaged and aggressive defense; more overall volume from OG Anunoby; top-notch fight from Mikal Bridges; better overall decision-making from Jalen Brunson; extra doses of Josh Hart hustle plays; and, above all, an emphasis on keeping Towns involved. 

It was all enough to bag a victory in the Motor City. And the ugliness of it all is part of the appeal. This year’s Knick team has so often lacked the grit of iterations from seasons past—the ability to punch back, or fend off, or just generally scrap. They did all of that in Game 3, much like they did in Game 1.

Still, then as now, New York has room for improvement. Plenty of it. And it’s on Thibs more than anyone else to deliver it.

Deuce McBride needs to play more

Deuce McBride entered the playoffs embroiled in a shooting slump. He hasn't exactly exited it. Though he has canned 3-of-8 from deep (37.5 percent), his movements away from the ball and decision-making on the catch no longer seem so deliberate. He is also not responding well to being run off the arc, or when working against Detroit's defensive physicality. Just one of his six two-point attempts (16.7 percent) have fallen for the series.

Upping McBride's court time will almost assuredly come at the expense of Hart's own run. That's basically sacreligious for Thibs. But the Knicks keep failing to utilize the 1-5 pick-and-roll with Towns, even as they make more of an effort to get him the ball. That is unlikely to change during Hart’s minutes.

Detroit remains inclined to stick a big man on Hart, and let him roam. That clogs up the works for everyone else. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff did move away from this look a little bit in Game 3, but only while Tobias Harris battled foul trouble. 

Guess what? The Knicks still didn’t bust out the 1-5 pick-and-roll nearly enough during those stretches. They remain more focused on using Hart as a screener, in hopes of involving his man in the primary actions.

Sprinkling in more Deuce McBride-plus-the-other-four starters can help neutralize that issue. New York will be smaller, but McBride is tenacious enough to offset much of the defensive concessions, albeit not when it comes to crashing the glass. 

Whatever. The offensive gains will far exceed the defensive trade-offs. The Knicks pumped in more than 130 points per 100 possessions during the (limited) regular-season time McBride spent alongside Brunson, Towns, Anunoby and Bridges. Sustaining that number across larger samples may prove impossible, but adding in more of McBride should allow them to get even more out of KAT. That isn’t just a good thing. It is a potentially series-defining thing.

It's time to lean more on the bench in general

Don't stop us if you've heard this one before. You have. That doesn't make it any less true.

Thibs technically went nine deep in Game 3. Really, it was eight. Or more like seven-and-a-half when you consider how few minutes McBride and Cameron Payne logged together.

Indeed, it’s the playoffs. Thibs rides his starters on the second night of a back-to-back in early January. He isn’t about to reinvent himself when the stakes are highest. But testing out more of the depth works in service of those higher stakes. 

While the Knicks held serve during some of the minutes without Brunson, there remained a decided lack of on-ball decision-making, passing versatility, and overarching scoring acumen. You cannot really change too much of that when Payne is already sponging up point guard reps in those instances. But you can try going back to the Payne-Brunson backcourt that juiced the offense in Game 1. If nothing else, it can help you build a larger cushion, while also having the same impact on the 1-5 pick-and-roll that subbing out Hart for McBride would. (You can also ensure you never, ever, ever, ever play Robinson without Brunson or KAT on the floor again.)

More Landry Shamet shouldn’t be considered taboo, either. The Knicks were a minus-12 from downtown in Game 3, and have been battling a long-range volume and efficiency issue for a good chunk of the year. Shamet poses some defensive challenges, but his outside utility is worth the opportunity cost, particularly when the Pistons usually play with at least two non-shooters.

Beyond that, Thibs can stand to use more of the dual-big look featuring Towns and Mitchell Robinson. To be sure, most of the Robinson minutes were rough in Game 3. Watching him try to catch passes remains painful. Ditto for processing reads when catching the ball on short rolls.

At the same time, if you’re going to ice Towns out of the 1-5 pick-and-roll because of Hart, why not follow the same blueprint while using Robinson in his place? He is the more imposing screener (when he actually connects), and playing him frees up the Knicks to be even more aggressive at the other end. Throwing two at Cade Cunningham worked in Game 3. It can do even more damage when Robinson is your backstop.

Truth be told, Thibs can do absolutely nothing differently for the rest of this series, and the Knicks will still likely emerge victorious. But making adjustments isn’t just about beating the Pistons. It is about self-exploration, and discovering more about the depths and limits of this roster in advance of the tougher test that awaits beyond the first round.

Dan Favale is a Senior NBA Contributor for FanSided and National NBA Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Bluesky (@danfavale), and subscribe to the Hardwood Knocks podcast, co-hosted by Bleacher Report's Grant Hughes.