Doc Rivers Guarantees Knicks Will Recover

Doc Rivers believes the New York Knicks are more than capable of breaking out of their early funk.

Nov 7, 2024; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers calls a play in the third quarter against the Utah Jazz at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images / Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Despite some early symptoms of mediocrity, Doc Rivers has offered a clean bill of health to the New York Knicks.

The head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks has his own well-documented struggles, but he was asked about the state of the Knicks prior to the two teams' showdown at Madison Square Garden on Friday night. Rivers believes that one of his former NBA employers is more than capable of overcoming a relatively slow start thanks to the presence of his metropolitan counterpart Tom Thibodeau.

"I know the Knicks coach and I know that he’s going to get it all together," Rivers, a member of the Knicks' 1994 NBA Finals run, said, per Ian Begley of SNY. "I’m sure of that. Tom’s a phenomenal coach."

Nov 8, 2024; New York, New York, USA; Milwaukee Bucks head coach Doc Rivers coaches against the New York Knicks during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

"They made changes to their core guys. Chemistry is an amazing thing. They had it last year and they’ll get it back. You don’t just wake up and have it. It takes time. It will come for them, I guarantee it."

Following last season's 50-win effort that yielded the second seed in the Eastern Conference playoff bracket, the Knicks made costly offseason moves in an effort to take the next step toward the penthouse of NBA contention. Despite some decent individual showings, Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns struggled to generate wins, as the Knicks dropped four of their first seven leading into Milwaukee's visit.

But, the Bucks experienced exactly what the new-look Knicks could offer at full strength: Towns posted a 32-point, 11-rebound double-double while Jalen Brunson dished out a season-best nine assists as New York prevailed in a 116-94 final.

While the Knicks (4-4) began to make things right, Friday's loss was another sting for the embattled Rivers: Milwaukee (2-7) sits in the second-to-last spot in the Eastern Conference entering Saturday night play, ahead of only fellow fallen contender Philadelphia.

The Bucks are due back in Manhattan on Jan. 12, but the road gets no easier in the meantime, as Rivers and Co. face the Boston Celtics on Sunday night (7 p.m. ET, FanDuel Sports Network North).

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