Tom Thibodeau 'Looking Forward' to Knicks' Development

New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau is optimistic going into this season as a result of the experience that his players have gained.

Tom Thibodeau is going into his fourth year as the head coach of the New York Knicks. The first three could be described as a roller coaster.

In his first year with the team, Thibodeau took the Knicks from missing the playoffs and having a lottery pick to a team with 41 wins and the four-seed in the Eastern Conference during the shortened 2021-22 campaign. It was the Knicks' first playoff appearance in eight seasons. 

In year two, the Knicks fell to 11th but the team was back in the playoffs last spring, which produced their first playoff series victory in a decade, a six-game triumph over the Cleveland Cavaliers. New York then fell to the eventual Eastern Conference champion Miami Heat in six.   

The Knicks are looking to become more consistent and take the lessons learned from the triumphs of last season into this one. Thibodeau expressed such desires in an interview with Steve Aschburner of NBA.com.

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"Continuity’s important, and we’re going into year four," Thibodeau said. "We’re young – that’s the best thing about our team, that you can continue to get better. We’re looking forward to the development of the guys we do have. Getting the experience from last year was very beneficial to us, but we have to understand it’s a new year and we start over again."

Gained experience is what could drive this year's Knicks team, as the younger players got some playoff experience this past year. That, combined with the fact that some of the veterans played in the FIBA Basketball World Cup this offseason could help the Knicks make some noise.

"The fact that it’s a different style, I like that too, because you’re adapting," Thibodeau said when asked about FIBA. "You can learn from playing that way and playing against international players. It allows you to hit the ground running in training camp, too"

With Julius Randle making steady progress since his ankle surgery back in June, and Jalen Brunson showing everyone that he is a star in the NBA, the Knicks have a chance to have another good year and become a consistent playoff team.