Knicks Star Embodies Tom Thibodeau's Play Style

The New York Knicks have their coach and star player in sync.

Jeremy Brener | Oct 19, 2024

Nov 20, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau with guard Jalen Brunson (11) against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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New York Knicks

Part of what has made Jalen Brunson's tenure with the New York Knicks so special has been the synergy between him and head coach Tom Thibodeau.

Brunson has embraced his coach's philosophies, allowing him to carry out his vision for the team on the court.

“I feel like if you play hard, you’re a Thibs guy," Brunson said h/t Posting and Toasting. "If you play hard, that’s all he wants. He wants effort and just to communicate. And so when you’re out there and just giving your all, he can respect that. And that deems you a Thibs guy or whatever."

Brunson is a great ambassador for his coach, but in order for the Knicks to be successful, everyone has to be a "Thibs guy" to some extent. Not everyone has to be on Brunson's level to be successful, but the star point guard believes things have come together during training camp.

"I think when people come here, when you start practice, and you start a training camp, and it’s all about the attention to the detail and the things that we do, and how hard we go at it in practice, how hard we go in the game, and just our approach," Brunson said. "I feel like, once you get to training camp and start playing and stuff like that, it kind of comes together. And so it’s really just once we start playing, and once you see the environment and everything, everyone starts to gel to having the same mindset.”

The team will only continue to gel as the season goes on, and there's enough talent on the roster to carry the Knicks through the year until they get really comfortable playing with one another. If it can do that, New York could find itself back towards the top of the Eastern Conference standings.

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Published Oct 19, 2024

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.