Getty Julius Randle of the New York Knicks talks with head coach Tom Thibodeau during first overtime against the Boston Celtics.
The New York Knicks are coming into the new season looking to put their lackluster 2021-22 turnout behind them. While there was plenty of blame to go around for their follies, two individuals, in specific, seem to have taken on the vast majority of the responsibility for their most recent playoff-less campaign — Julius Randle and Tom Thibodeau.
In 2020-21, the club shocked the sports world by finishing in the fourth seed out in the Eastern Conference standings and snapping their eight-year postseason drought while both Randle and Thibodeau finished with individual honors of All-NBA and Coach of the Year, respectively.
Unfortunately, their follow-up season was far less successful, as the Knicks finished with their 17th sub-.500 season since the turn of the century, sporting an overall record of 37-45, and, be it just or not, the blame for this outcome fell heavily on both the big man and the head coach’s shoulders.
Now, as we approach 2022-23, there seems to be a ton of pressure on the duo to tap back into their accolade-earning selves and, in turn, serve as major factors in a bounce-back season for the Knickerbockers and, despite all the finger pointing from fans and the media over the past year, it seems Randle and Thibodeau are still on the same page with one another.
Randle Still Has Faith in Knicks Coach
Despite their loss to the Indiana Pacers, during New York’s post-game media session on October 13, Julius Randle discussed his feelings on Tom Thibodeau’s system, stating that he still has complete faith in his head coach.
“I’ve just bought into what coach is doing, how he’s trying to play,” Randle said during New York’s post-game presser via the New York Post.
“I’m just trying to be a leader and establish pace of play, unselfishness for our team, because I feel like we’re at our best when we play like that. … It kind of happens naturally. If the shot is there, take it. [If not], drive the ball, try to get to the rim. If it’s not there, we got shooters everywhere.”
Though the Knicks were downed by the Pacers on the night, the team’s starting lineup, particularly their main trio of Randle, RJ Barrett, and Jalen Brunson had yet another strong showing, as the three combined for 45 points, 11 assists, and 20 rebounds while the starting unit outscored Indiana’s 61 to 44 through three-quarters of action.
Through New York’s initial three preseason outings, the team has also shown more of a willingness to share the ball on offense, as they currently are dishing out an average of 25.3 assists per game, ranking them 12th in the category, which is certainly a step in the right direction after having finished dead last in assist averages last season with just 21.9 per game.
During this stretch, the Knicks’ big-three has combined for impressive averages of 49.0 points, 11.0 assists, and 14.3 rebounds per contest.
NBA Analyst Down on Knicks Point Guard
Though fans may be excited to have Jalen Brunson manning the point for the New York Knicks heading into the upcoming season, ESPN analyst and former NBA guard Tim Legler recently tempered expectations for the team’s free agency acquisition during an October 13 episode of NBA Today.
When discussing the team’s new lead guard, Legler stated that, though he may be better than what the team has had in recent years, he still isn’t that “star” difference maker that the front office has been coveting.
“While he is an upgrade at the point guard position, I don’t think he will necessarily be a difference maker for the New York Knicks,” Legler said.
“While Brunson solidifies their point guard position, he isn’t the type of explosive talent that can dominate consistently in a way that would propel the Knicks to contender status.”
After having a career-year with the Dallas Mavericks in 2021-22, posting stellar averages of 16.3 points, 4.8 assists, and 3.9 rebounds on 50.2% shooting from the floor and 37.3% shooting from deep, Brunson swung into this summer’s free agency period as arguably the top-billed name at his position.
The fifth-year veteran wound up inking a lucrative four-year, $104 million deal with the Knicks on the first official day of free agency.