Brooklyn’s Steve Nash, Utah’s Quin Snyder, Phoenix’s Monty Williams and Philly’s Doc Rivers should also be in the conversation (CBS Sports recently laid out a case for some of the candidates).
If Thibodeau wins it, he’d be the first Knick to earn COY honors since Pat Riley in 1992-93.
Here are some factors behind Thibodeau’s candidacy:
The Bottom Line
Entering play Friday, the Knicks have increased their win percentage by roughly 23 percent. If it holds, that would be the second largest win percentage increase in the league, behind the Phoenix Suns.
That’s one reason why Williams has a strong case for the award. In his second season on the bench, Williams’ Suns have been one of the top teams in a brutally tough Western Conference.
According to one member of another organization – a longtime coach – Thibodeau deserves the nod over Williams because he’s in his first season with the Knicks.
“How much has the roster changed? Not much, right? Thibodeau is the biggest addition,” the veteran coach said.
Entering play Friday, the Knicks defensive rating (4th this year; 23rd last season), opponent field goal percentage (1st this season; 17th last year) and three-point field goal percentage (sixth this year; 27th last season) have jumped significantly under Thibodeau.
The club also has already surpassed its projected win total of 22.5 by 10.5 games with 12 games to play.
DEVELOPING RANDLE, BARRETT
In addition to the bottom-line success, RJ Barrett and Julius Randle have taken big steps forward in their first year under Thibodeau.
Randle obviously deserves a ton of credit for his success this year; he worked incredibly hard over the summer – following a tough first year in New York – to bounce back the way that he has. The same is true of Barrett, who worked diligently on his entire game – including his perimeter shot – during the Knicks’ long offseason.
But Thibodeau and his staff should get recognition for the way they’ve coached both players and the position they’ve put them in to succeed this year.
Randle is averaging career-highs in points, assists and steals per 100 possessions and is shooting a career best percentage from the 3-point line and free-throw line.
Barrett has increased his points, assists and rebounds per game this season and has shot 6.6 percent better from beyond the arc in his second season. His net rating has increased by nearly seven points per game. That’s a function of the Knicks’ success as a team this season but also shows you the ways in which Barrett is impacting winning in Year 2.
BOUGHT IN
From Randle on down, the Knicks seem to have fully bought in to Thibodeau’s system and coaching. Players are working out together after hours and have collectively bounced back from some rough stretches earlier in the season. That’s a credit to the players, but it also speaks to the way Thibodeau and his staff have coached the players and the daily messaging they’ve used to keep the team together amid early and mid-season struggles.
“He better be in the running,’’ Barrett said recently of Thibodeau’s case for Coach of the Year. “We all believe in Thibs. He’s done a tremendous job in how he’s turned everything around. The way he has us playing hard every single night and we’re getting wins. The whole staff, every day, we’re working hard, just pushing us. It’s a great feeling. I’m sure the fans see how hard we’re working and having them in the Garden has been great overall.’’
Nash has done incredibly well amid trying circumstances with the Nets in his first year on the sidelines. Snyder, Williams, Rivers and others have made strong cases for the Coach of the Year award.
Unless the Knicks fall off a cliff in the final weeks of the season, Thibodeau should be in the middle of that group in the final voting for Coach of the Year.
