After being denied permission to speak to several head coaches under contract such as Jason Kidd, Ime Udoka and Chris Finch, the Knicks’ search for a head coach continues. The team has seemingly casted a wide net in its process to find a new coach to replace Tom Thibodeau.
It seems that there’s a possibility New York could go with a head coach with experience like Taylor Jenkins, the former Memphis Grizzlies head coach, or Mike Brown who most recently was the head coach for the Sacramento Kings.
They could also go young with former Knicks associate head coach Johnnie Bryant.
Regardless of who the Knicks hire, let’s look at some characteristics the next Knicks head coach should have to get the best out of this team going forward.
Regular season schemer
Making adjustments is one of the most crucial qualities a head coach needs to thrive in the NBA. For all of this regular season under Thibodeau, the Knicks generally eschewed switching pick-and-rolls and off ball screens.
In the second round of the playoffs against the Boston Celtics, Thibs had New York switch ball screens and outside of some breakdowns and miscommunications, it generally worked. In the Conference Finals, the lack of preparation for guarding the Indiana Pacers’ non-stop movement hurt the Knicks. In Game 1, the Knicks seemed unsure if they were switching screens or fighting through them. And it hurt them, as Aaron Nesmith made six three-pointers in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter to help Indiana come back from a 14-point deficit late.
Also, Thibodeau could have entertained trying different lineup combinations. It was well documented that New York’s starting lineup played more minutes than any other five-man unit in both the regular season and the playoffs. We never got a real chance to see Miles McBride on the floor in place of Josh Hart with New York’s four other starters.
The next coach experimenting with different lineups and playing styles would be important. Maybe a decision like that costs New York a regular season game here or there, but being prepared to adjust to different opponents and scenarios in the postseason is better for the long run.
A believer in ball movement
During Thibodeau’s five-year tenure as head coach, the Knicks never finished higher than 17th in assist rate. In fact, the club was in the bottom third of the category in four of the five years. Despite that, the Knicks managed to have a quality offense due to offensive rebounding and a low turnover rate.
Moving the ball doesn’t always lead to having a great offense. However, for the Knicks’ current roster construction, extra ball and body movement could boost New York’s ceiling in the postseason.
The Knicks’ top-five ranked offense in the regular season wilted in the postseason as teams took away Karl-Anthony Towns’ three-point shooting. There were too many times New York resorted to putting the ball in Jalen Brunson’s hand and isolating. Of all 16 playoff teams, the Knicks had the lowest assist rate (50.4 percent).
Outside of Brunson, the Knicks don’t have many playmakers capable of breaking down the defense off the dribble. Adding more passing and off-ball movement could elevate players like Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby on the offensive end.
Embracing player development
Thibodeau has generally been known to lean on his starters, but that wasn’t always the case. Thibodeau embraced New York’s depth in the past when the bench was constantly beating opponents behind lineups that had Immanuel Quickley and Derrick Rose.
But as New York’s depth weakened through trades for its current core, Thibodeau relied even less on the bench. New York’s reserves were last in scoring during the regular season and second-to-last in the playoffs.
We’ve seen both NBA Finalists, the Pacers and Oklahoma City Thunder internally develop second-round picks like Andrew Nembhard and undrafted players like Luguentz Dort. With several young players on the back end of the roster, the Knicks need a coach that will entertain the challenge of helping Pacome Dadiet, Tyler Kolek and Ariel Hukporti become players that the team can trust to receive regular rotation minutes down the road.
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