Now that Tom Thibodeau has been officially hired, the Knicks will turn their attention to filling out his coaching staff.
One item on the agenda? Expanding the player development staff.
There is internal consideration in the organization to hire a significant number of player-development coaches for Thibodeau’s staff, per SNY sources.
Those coaches would be hired in addition to the assistant coaches who will work under Thibodeau.
The Knicks have one of the youngest rosters in the NBA and have seven first-round draft picks over the next four years. So it’s fair to assume that they see player development as a top priority.
Team president Leon Rose and Thibodeau both mentioned player development several times during Thibodeau’s introductory press conference on Thursday.
With regards to Thibodeau’s assistant coaches, top University of Kentucky assistant Kenny Payne remains on the Knicks radar as a potential addition, SNY sources confirm. Payne has a close relationship with top Knicks executive William Wesley and has other ties to the Knicks organization. He has been known to coach big men at Kentucky, including Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns.
Bronx native and former Villanova star Ed Pinckney is also expected to get internal consideration for a role on Thibodeau’s staff, SNY sources confirm. Pinckney, currently a scout with the Houston Rockets, has worked on Thibodeau’s coaching staffs in the past.
Former Knicks coach Mike Woodson and interim coach Mike Miller continue to have strong internal consideration for assistant coaching roles, as SNY has reported. (The Athletic reported on Thursday that Woodson is "expected" to join the organization in an undetermined role, which seems, to me, to be fairly similar to the previous reporting).
It is unclear if/when the Knicks will complete the hiring of Thibodeau’s assistant coaches. GM Scott Perry said on Thursday that Thibodeau would have autonomy to hire his staff. But the Knicks are expected to have input on several of the assistant coaches on staff.
Thibodeau was asked about the Knicks’ input on his assistant coaches during Thursday’s press conference. He didn’t seem to take issue with it.
“When you’re putting your staff together you’re looking at the qualities you think will fit your team best, what you think you need. I think you always sit down with your front office to go over the people you think can help,” he said. “I’m confident that we’re going to sit down, I’m going to listen the people that they have, I’m going to recommend some people that I know. Some of them are going to be on both lists. I’m real comfortable with that. I think we’re going to get a great staff and I’m looking forward to getting started with it.”
The size of New York’s player development staff under Thibodeau, in theory, should benefit young Knicks like RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, Kevin Knox and Frank Ntilikina. Even if the Knicks trade some of their young players and picks for an established player, they will still need a strong development staff to help their younger talent progress – one of the more critical aspects of rebuilding in the NBA.
It’s interesting to note that some coaches from other teams last year felt that David Fizdale – the most recent Knicks head coach – had one of the smaller staffs (assistant coaches and player development coaches) in the NBA. The Brooklyn Nets were one of the first teams in the league to significantly expand their player development staff.
The New York Daily News first reported the Knicks’ interest in adding Payne as an assistant. The New York Post first reported that the Knicks had Pinckney on their radar as a potential assistant.
