Knicks Coach Reflects on Preseason

The New York Knicks are looking forward to the regular season.

Oct 9, 2024; New York, New York, USA; New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau reacts during the second half against the Washington Wizards at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The New York Knicks have wrapped up the preseason after a 118-117 loss to the Washington Wizards on the road, but now the real fun begins as the team moves on to the 82-game regular season.

It was a hectic training camp for the Knicks, who acquired All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves in a blockbuster deal just days before the team began practicing together.

However, head coach Tom Thibodeau still sees daily growth towards becoming the team they want to become.

“Just take it step by step," Thibodeau said h/t Posting and Toasting. "Next game, got to keep improving, build the right habits, strive to be a 48-minute team. Don’t look ahead. Just concentrate on exactly where we are. Everything worries me. So each day obviously have to prioritize the things — you can’t work on everything every day. You prioritize certain things to keep moving forward to shore up areas and continue to build and add. We want to build the right habits, so concentrate the right way, practice the right way, understand what we’re trying to get done in each and every game. Know who we’re playing, know personnel. Know the system, know how you fit into the role you’re playing. All those things add up."

Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither were the Knicks. Things will continue to be worked on during the regular season, but the margin of error has thinned now that each game will count towards the team's future in the standings.

That being said, Thibodeau feels as though the team figured out how to get the foundation down for its identity, which is key before starting a season.

“Yeah, there’s no real magic to this. It’s like it’s a commitment that you have to make each and every day," Thibodeau said. “The discipline that you have to have each and every day. And have the ability to get through things when things are going your way. There’s gonna be times when it’s not going your way but you still approach it the same way, and just find a way to win.”

This is a common staple for previous Knicks and Thibodeau-led squads, so now that the team is on the same page as its coach, it can move forward with the growth it has built over the past few weeks.

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