Despite making some big upgrades this past offseason, the New York Knicks have looked pretty similar to the team that struggled throughout the 2021-22 season. Even with their latest win over the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night, the Knicks are clearly not living up to expectations early on in the season, and it's made Tom Thibodeau's seat as the coach of the Knicks warm at the very least.
The Knicks front office doesn't appear to be happy with the team's slow start to the season, which has made it a possibility that Thibodeau's job could be in jeopardy if the losses continue to pile up. The win over the Jazz, which is no small victory, should buy Thibodeau some time, but at 7-7, it feels like the Knicks have missed an opportunity to get off to a better start this season.
Thibodeau was likely on a short leash entering the season after the struggles the team experienced last season, and the Knicks slow start certainly hasn't helped his case. With New York sitting at .500 through 14 games, let's take a look at two big reasons that suggest the Knicks need to fire Thibodeau as soon as possible.
2. The Knicks have a ton of good players on their roster that are underperforming
What helped Thibodeau build up so much good will in New York was the fact that he turned a Knicks team that was expected to be among the worst in the league back in the 2020-21 season into one that made it to the Eastern Conference semifinals. Thibodeau got a ton out of that Knicks team when he wasn't expected to, but everything came crashing back down to earth last season.
So far this season, it's been more of the same, and if it weren't for the addition of Jalen Brunson in free agency this past offseason, Thibodeau would likely have already been fired. That's because pretty much everyone aside from Brunson, and maybe Julius Randle, have taken a step back to start the season in one way or another.
RJ Barrett, who is the third guy behind Brunson and Randle, has seen his scoring drop to start the season, with his efficiency on threes being particularly concerning (28.6 3P%). Key bench guys Immanuel Quickley, Evan Fournier, and Derrick Rose have all struggled to open the season, with Fournier and Rose seeing far less minutes than they did last year. Quentin Grimes, who was expected to be a potential starter, has been horrible in the early going too.
The Knicks have enough talented players that they have been able to get one or two guys going at the right time to lead them to wins, but when you put it all together, it's been a very ugly start for many of the Knicks key players. And ultimately, some of the blame for that falls on Thibodeau. There's no reason New York shouldn't be one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference, but instead, they are sitting with a .500 record through 14 games.
1. Despite all that talent, the Knicks cannot consistently win
It's one thing to see these players struggle, but it's another to see them be unable to win games on a consistent basis. The Knicks are arguably one of the deepest teams in the league, but they are just 7-7. Why is that? Ultimately, the blame has to be placed on Thibodeau's shoulders for their inability to win despite having a deep roster.
We just looked at how guys like Quickley, Fournier, and Rose are struggling, and while they haven't performed when they have played, Thibodeau is hurting them because he cannot settle in on one consistent rotation. These three guys were all playing consistently last season, but they haven't really been able to establish any sort of consistency because Thibodeau cannot make up his mind on who he wants to play.
It's also clear that Thibodeau isn't getting the most out of his three best players right now. Randle has proven he can be a dynamic offensive threat, and while he's done well in a scaled back role alongside Brunson, it feels like he's capable of more. Brunson should be the first option on offense considering he's shooting nearly 50 percent from the floor, but for whatever reason, it's Barrett, who's barely shooting above 40 percent, leading the team in shots per game.
When you have the players that the Knicks have, and you aren't winning games consistently, it hints at a bigger issue than the players. Thibodeau hasn't proven to be the right leader for this team, and the Knicks need to act swiftly to find the guy who is the right leader. The longer they wait, the less time they have to fix their struggles, which is why Thibodeau needs to be fired now.
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