Before the NBA world knows it, the 2024-25 season will commence. The upcoming campaign will open the floodgates of expectations that have surrounded the New York Knicks all summer long. Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, aware of what’s ahead for him and his troops, shed some light on a couple of strategies that he may use to best position his players to dominate next time out.
Knicks HC Tom Thibodeau plans to pressure ball handlers with Mikal Bridges & OG Anunoby
Coach Thibodeau recently addressed the Knicks’ trade for Mikal Bridges this offseason, and stated how he and OG Anunoby will give him the luxury of pressuring opposing ball-handlers with the two all-world ball stoppers, saying this in part, per Steve Aschburner of NBA.com:
“What it adds to us is the versatility of both allows us to give different looks to a primary ball handler. We’ve been playing Donte [DiVincenzo] on those guys to start. Now we can come after that with Bridges, then OG, then Hart. We can constantly change up our look for who’s guarding that ball handler,” Thibodeau said.
The Knicks’ ball pressure will hold major weight in 2024-25. Anunoby is a top-shelf perimeter defender, and more so, Bridges could make the case for being the best ball hound from 94 feet out. Especially dating back to the 2021-22 season where he finished as runner-up for the Defensive Player of the Year award, the Villanova product’s supreme gift for staying with his man, utilizing his otherworldly 7-1 wingspan and remaining disciplined with his hands and feet allowed for him to stall opposing teams as they tried to set up their half-court offenses.
Bridges could put that on full display next time out, particularly since he and Julius Randle will likely share secondary scoring responsibilities behind All-Star Jalen Brunson. With the 28-year-old making life hell coming up the floor, and Anunoby and DiVincenzo’s activity in the passing lanes, New York can turn excellent defense into easy transition opportunities, led by Josh Hart and Brunson.
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Coach Thibodeau will look to all of his centers to contribute next season
Thibodeau also addressed the Knicks’ situation at center, and how he intends to compensate for Isaiah Hartenstein’s departure:
“We’ll probably have to do it by committee. We’ll look at some different things, because we have versatility — we could see Julius more at the 5. I don’t want to do that for long stretches, it would take its toll, but to have him do it for 10 or 15 minutes, I think he can do it well. He also would create a lot of [offensive] advantages,” Thibodeau stated.
Mitchell Robinson is slated to be the starter again next season. Whether or not his league-leading 4.6 offensive rebounds per night from 2023-24 follow him into next season remains to be seen. What he and the Knicks don’t want to see on his tail are the 51 games he missed due to injuries. Behind him, Precious Achiuwa is slated to be the primary backup five, though as Thibodeau stated, Randle could be their guy in small-ball lineups and when the Knicks want to get more scoring on the floor.
New York will also look for the 6-10 Jericho Sims to come into his own next time out. If the Knicks’ perimeter defense performs as expected and their depth chart at center doesn’t miss a beat from last season, then the NBA world could be looking at a top-three team overall in 2024-25 and the upcoming champions when it is all said and done. Thibodeau’s schematics, minutes allotment, and the culture he fosters in New York will largely dictate that.
