Unable to comment on the latest roster addition, New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau played his hand with his facial expression on Monday.
A pending trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves that would bring Karl-Anthony Towns to New York has yet to be finalized with the NBA’s stamp of approval, which restricts Thibodeau from commenting on the former All-Star he coached in Minneapolis.
“Nice try,” Thibodeau said with an ear-to-ear grin when asked about his experience as KAT’s head coach at his previous stop.
Point guard Jalen Brunson and wing Josh Hart were hit in a different way by the trade for KAT. As proposed, it would include their former Villanova teammate Donte DiVincenzo and All-Star forward Julius Randle. Hart said the business side of the deal is the best and worst part of the NBA, while Brunson reminded media DiVincenzo was a groomsman in his wedding.
“Hate to see a guy like that go, especially with the caliber of player they are, the caliber of people they are,” Hart said. “KAT is an amazing player. Someone who is really good in terms of spacing, knocking down shots, blocking shots. You love it and hate it.”
Even so, Brunson said he trusts the front office to improve the roster with bigger goals in mind than the second round of the postseason.
“Obviously we want to take the next step, we want to be better than we were last year,” Brunson said. “We have to start all over again. That’s the beauty about all of this — you never know where you’re going to end up. … But we have a long way to go.”
Brunson is fully cleared medically and recovered from surgery to repair his broken left hand. Brunson was injured in the Game 7 loss to the Indiana Pacers in May. Brunson went on a scoring bender in the playoffs and turned in an MVP-caliber season. But with Bridges and Towns in the mix, he’s not likely to be asked to carry as much of the offensive burden this season.
Brunson signed a team-friendly extension in July — his 2024-25 salary is nearly $25 million less than Towns is owed — after the best season of his six-year NBA career, featuring career highs in scoring (28.7 points per game), assists (6.7 per game) and 3-pointers made (211). He shot 40.1 percent from beyond the arc. Brunson was named an All-Star for the first time, made the All-NBA second team and finished fifth in NBA Most Valuable Player balloting.
Thibodeau wouldn’t touch KAT questions even as he arrived at the practice facility during the press conference. But he would comment on the evolution of his offense — hinting at playing the “5 out” system with nobody in the paint to accentuate Towns — and revealed plans for a defense with vastly improved versatility upon completion of a trade that would put an exclamation point on the Knicks’ offseason.
Thibodeau signed a contract extension, the Knicks acquired Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets and re-signed OG Anunoby to a massive contract right when it appeared he was bolting in free agency. He signed a five-year, $212.5 million deal in July.
Anunoby, acquired from the Raptors in the trade that sent Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett to Toronto, reported to camp fully healthy, Thibodeau shared with great delight. A hamstring injury during the playoffs slowed New York, but if all goes according to plan, the Knicks will use him at almost every position in 2024-25.
Thibodeau even said it could be Anunoby who most helps the Knicks recover from the free-agent exit of center Isaiah Hartenstein. Mitchell Robinson is not likely to be on the floor until January.
But the 6-foot-7 Anunoby’s 7-foot-2 wingspan makes him a candidate to guard “4s and 5s,” Thibodeau said.
With all the pieces to fit together, Hart knows there are new roles and evolving lineups to be encountered. One big change expected for the versatile defender is the end of his playing time at the center position.
“Thank God,” Hart said.
–Field Level Media