New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns had nothing but good things to say about head coach Tom Thibodeau after reuniting with the former two-time NBA Coach of the Year this offseason.
Knicks: Karl-Anthony Towns lauds HC Tom Thibodeau’s winning acumen
Towns, who was traded to the Knicks from the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sept. 28, spoke with NBA analyst and Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Shannon Sharpe on the latter’s “Club Shay Shay” podcast on Wednesday about playing under coach “Thibs” once again, saying this in part (h/t: Bleacher Report’s Joseph Zucker):
“You know what I respected so, so much about [Tom Thibodeau] is that he wanted to win,” Towns told Sharpe “And he put the hours in and he put the work in. Playing for Thibs was just watching someone who truly loves what they do and puts all their passion and their life mission is being the best coach they can be.”
Coach Thibodeau was instrumental in developing Towns at the start of his career
The Kentucky product was referencing his first spell playing for coach Thibodeau in Minnesota between 2016 and 2019. During that time, the defensive-minded team leader helped bring the T-Wolves back into playoff prominence at a critical juncture in Towns’ career.
Minnesota went from 31 wins in his first year at their helm to 47 wins and an eighth-seeded finish in the Western Conference a year later, breaking a 13-year franchise playoff drought. Towns — drafted No. 1 overall in 2015 — spent those three seasons under Thibodeau battling naysayers who tried to label him as “weak” and a letdown performer in the playoffs while improving his game and blossoming into an All-NBA Third Team performer in 2018.
Thibodeau has consistently won as a head coach in the league
As he also alluded to, coach Thibodeau’s emphasis on winning has followed him all throughout his career. It’s what helped him lead the Chicago Bulls to 62 wins in 2011 — the first year he took home COTY honors — and what has also allowed him to galvanize the Knicks back into relevancy after a seven-year layoff from postseason qualification.
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Thibodeau and Towns can lead the Knicks to new heights next season
Now, coach “Thibs” will have the luxury of drawing up plays for a more mature and refined Towns in 2024-25. Correspondingly, the four-time All-Star will slide right into a Knicks rotation that went as far as Game 7 of the 2024 Eastern Conference Semifinals and will necessitate him to be their No. 2 option on offense from here on out.
Having reached the 2024 Western Conference Finals himself with the Wolves, Towns knows the significance of winning, especially in the throes of his prime, and with the Connecticut native guiding him throughout the year, they can make something special happen in New York next time out.
