Karl-Anthony Towns Gets Honest on Criticism of Knicks Coach Tom Thibodeau

Karl-Anthony Towns spoke about the former Chicago Bulls coach and current Knicks coach

Jan 8, 2025; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks center Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts during the third quarter against the Toronto Raptors at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

While New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has seen his fair share of success in the league, there's one major criticism that he's heard throughout his entire career, even when he was coaching the Chicago Bulls.

Thibodeau tends to overwork his players and potentially helps catalyze injuries because of it.

Despite that, his current star Karl-Anthony Towns believes that critics are far too harsh with Thibodeau. Especially, because Thibodeau brings a certain level of success and achievement to his teams.

“I feel like ya’ll give him flack all the time," Towns said. "No matter where he is. But y’all keep talking about him and that means he keeps getting a job and that means everyone keeps respecting him and knowing what he can do for a team. He’s done it in Chicago, he did it in Boston, he did it with us in Minny. And he’s doing it here. Even before I got here. So say what you want about Thibs — he gets the job done.”

KAT on Thibs and criticism the coach gets for too many minutes:

“I feel like ya’ll give him flack all the time. No matter where he is. But y’all keep talking about him and that means he keeps getting a job and that means everyone keeps respecting him and knowing what he can do…

— Stefan Bondy (@SbondyNBA) January 9, 2025

While Tom Thibodeau has brought a certain level of success to his teams, he's never actually won it all. There's a reason why so many of his teams never end up actually winning a championship, and it's because all of his best players end up getting hurt in the playoffs. Despite that, a lot of players around the league love playing for him.

The New York Knicks are currently the third seed in the Eastern Conference with a realistic chance of making some noise in the playoffs. However, the true test will be whether or not his team gets hurt again in the playoffs.

Related Articles

NBA Fans React to New Chicago Bulls Trade Report

Anthony Edwards Makes NBA History in Timberwolves-Bulls

14-Year NBA Veteran, Ex-Bulls Player Announces Retirement